Tournon Shays Flat Shiraz 2012
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Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Pair with steak or rack of lamb seared over coals.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium to deep garnet-purple, the 2012 Shay’s Flat Vineyard Pyrenees Shiraz opens with a slight whiff of reduction over a core of red and black currants, loam, sage and Szechuan pepper. Tight, muscular and with a just a tad too much extraction detracting from its savory appeal ever so slightly, it finishes long and earthy. Rating: 91+ Points.
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Wine Spectator
Taut, focused and distinctive, showing a balance of ripe fruit and distinct mineral layers, with stony notes adding to the cherry and black olive flavors. Finishes with tension. Best from 2017 through 2022.
Other Vintages
2013-
James
Suckling
In 2009 Michel Chapoutier purchased two Australian vineyards: Shays Flat Estate and Landsborough Valley Estate in the Victorian Pyrenees. He recognized that the cool weather patterns and remarkable diversity of soil and exposures in this region would allow him to make distinctive wines from the Syrah/Shiraz grape of his homeland, utilizing his biodynamic winegrowing philosophy.
A southern extension of the Great Dividing Range, the Victorian Pyrenees foothills and ranges create a remarkable diversity of microclimates and soils that provide a wealth of variety for winemakers. The vineyards consist of ancient soils and exposures, resulting in low cropping vines ideal for intensely flavorful wines. Soils range from highly draining quartz laden to red ferruginous schist, shale, and clay. The vineyards are farmed with a focus on maintaining a good balance with the natural environment, while working where necessary and appropriate to improve soil and vineyards conditions. Named after the Hermitage commune, Tournon leads the movement in Australia towards elegant, balanced wines. The philosophy centers on respect – respect for the terroir, the fruit, and the consumer. The focus is on maintaining good balance in the vineyard’s natural environment while working where appropriate and necessary to improve soil and vineyard conditions. The same dedication is given to the entry-level wines as is given to the more prestigious ones.
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.”
Nestled into the tip of its southeastern coastline, Victoria is Australia’s smallest mainland state, second most populous and third largest wine producer. Victoria includes the cool regions of Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Geelong, made famous mainly by impressive Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The more inland Heathcote and Bendigo lead the way for complex and textured, full-bodied reds. Rutherglen’s fortified wines compete among the best on the planet.