2009 Brokenwood Hunter Valley Shiraz

Winemaker's Notes
"Medium density colour but still vibrant with purple hues. The result of a cooler year and Hunter reds in general are never big and black in color. Very good lifted red cherry/red earth fruit aromas and some vanillin oak. A perfect supple, medium bodied palate. Savory notes and red fruits. The tannins are soft but sufficient to give length and drive to the palate. The oak is a touch forward (not long after bottling) but will settle and there is enough fruit to match it."

James Halliday
"94 pts ... Positive, bright crimson; right in the mainstream of modern — or retro-modern — medium-bodied Hunter Valley shiraz, with gentle earth and leather regional markers folded into dark berry and plum fruit plus a garnish of fine, savory tannins."

Wine Advocate
"91+ pts ... Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2009 Shiraz presents an abundance of wonderfully forward aromas: ripe blackberry, fresh blueberries, cassia, nutmeg, cloves, anise and a whiff of menthol. Medium-bodied and crisp in the mouth it has taut, muscular fruit with medium-firm grainy tannins and a long finish. Approachable now, I’d really like to give the palate at least another year in bottle and drink it 2012 to 2017+."

Stephen Tanzer
"91 pts ...Saturated ruby. Red berries, woodsmoke, anise and violet on the assertive nose. Fresh and energetic, offering sweet raspberry and blackberry flavors that gain flesh and power with air. Tangy acidity adds focus and bite to a very long, sappy, fruit-driven finish. This has the balance to age."

Technical Notes
"Made by Iain Riggs. Fermentation took place in a combination of open and closed stainless steel fermenters with plunging taking place twice daily. After 7 days, the wine was pressed off, with malolactic fermentation completed in tank. The wine was aged in American oak barriques for 14 months. While the basis of the HV Shiraz is the clonal Shiraz in the Graveyard (planted in the 1990s) this wine gets a bonus in the form of barriques of Shiraz off the old vines that don’t quite make the icon Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz blend. 14% alc."