Mandala Wines Yarra Valley Shiraz 2018
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Australian Wine
Companion -
Wilfred
Wong
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Black plum, tart boysenberry and red licorice aromas combine with subtle white pepper, tobacco and smoky notes. A warm, medium body with flavors of dark berries and caramelized fig, hints of mocha, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Fine tannins and soft vanillin oak lead a lingering finish.
Professional Ratings
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Australian Wine Companion
Yarra meets a peripheral northern Rhone pocket. Think Crozes. Perhaps Saint Joseph. Far from prosaic, this is a delicious rendition of pulp, perfume and all that syrah/shiraz can deliver when in the right hands and in the right possie. Think violet, blueberry, nori, tapenade, a whiff of meat and a skein of peppery acidity for length, freshness and a big grin. Drink in large drafts. No point in ageing. Reduction massaged into pleasure.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Mandala Shiraz is deep and persistent on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers aromas and flavors of black fruit, fragrant spices, chalky notes, and attractive oak. Pair it with a grilled ribeye. (Tasted: April 3, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
As the most important area of wine production in Victoria today, the Yarra Valley is most popular for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which account for over half of vineyard acreage. A gentle, rolling and rural region alongside the Margaret River, the Yarra Valley has a cool maritime climate with a lengthy growing season, perfect for these cool-climate varieties.
Two styles of Pinot Noir are possible here. The warmer Lower Yarra Valley with sandy, loam soils, produces plush and fruity Pinot Noir while the cooler, higher-elevation Upper Yarra Valley with soils of young red basalt, produces more angular and mineral-driven Pinot Noir.
Yarra Valley Chardonnay is among the best in Australia. To preserve the floral aromatics and fresh citrus flavors for which this area’s Chardonnay is so appreciated, time in barrel is restrained (though barrel fermentation is common). The best Yarra Valley Chardonnays display brilliant acidity, leesy characteristics, citrus, stone fruit and flavors of ginger and spice.
Shiraz and Cabernet find success in parts of this region as well.