$125.00
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One of the truly great partnerships in the Barossa is the blending of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Whatever the proportions and regardless of whether Shiraz or Cabernet is dominant the synergy is unmistakable.
Deep dense red with hints of purple lingering around the meniscus.
Spearmint perfume layered over cassis and red currant and summer berries. Lifted vanilla oak blends back and is filled out with the complexity of the spicy French giving an beautifully balanced nose.
The initial richness of the fully raspberry characters are poised against the spearmint menthol over finely balanced against firm oak and fruit Tannins. Good acid against the fruit sweetness, cleanses the mouth for a beautifully balanced palate The middle palate is full of the of the big berry hit of Cabernet supported by the leathery richness of Shiraz. The long palate finishes with the deep bass complexity brought out by extended lees contact.
As I sit and write this label in mid-April 2014, I’m musing that the bond between my two youngest children, Alex and Ben is amazing. Alex completely dotes on his older brother and even though there are five years between them, Ben feels the same way back. Although the boys have separate bedrooms, more nights than not, Alex will drag his mattress into Ben's room and sleep on the floor next to his ‘Big Bro’. They really love and depend on each other when all’s said and done. On some levels, it’s tough for Alex being the youngest. We forget that he’s so much younger than Ben and quite often expect much more from him than is fair. But Alex, in true Alex fashion defends his ground with great ‘vim and vigor’ whenever he feels unfairly put upon so on balance does pretty well. Alex is also developing into quite the computer expert. I’m not quite up to the stage of paying him for tech support but reckon in a couple of years he’ll be writing programs with the best of them. All in all, Alex is doing just fine.
2009 was a distinctive vintage. Following the crazy conditions of the previous year, the Cabernet and Shiraz vines set a light crop across both our Stone Well Hill and Stelzer Road vineyards. During December and January hot spells interspersed with cooler days led to both varieties reaching their ‘pick point’ virtually at the same time. The low yields and quick sugar ripening seemed to imbue the fruit with dense dark characters across the board - I‘ve characterized my 2009 Reds as being my ‘dark matter’ wines. The 2009 vintage's hectic pace was scarily reminiscent of the previous year‘s insanity. The truth of Terror is not just the soil and the vines but the vintage and the maker as well. The 2009 Cellar Release Alexander’s Reward Cabernet Shiraz was created from small batch parcels drawn from Sand, Loam, and Clay from both our Stone Well Hill and Stelzer Road Vineyards Cabernet and Shiraz vines. Each batch was hand plunged three times a day during ferment before being basket pressed after a total of 18-25 days on skins. The wine was filled with full lees to a mix of old and new American and French Oak for 36 months maturation. 360 Bottles have been Re-released in June 2019 of the 2009 Cellar Release Alexander’s Reward Cabernet Shiraz, as a 10-year-old wine just entering its juvenile peak. Each bottle ( as always ) has been hand printed wrapped and packaged with care by the team at david Franz before wending its way to you.
Enjoy and Cheers!
