Phillip White 95+++ Points!
Phillip White 95+++ Points!"Drought seems to have smitten the Apricot Block with quite a lot of Roennfeldt's character this year, which is not all that surprising, given the vineyards are adjacent, albeit with very different geological terroir. Maybe in the dry, the roots that reach deepest are the most dependable ones, and the Apricot Block roots may well be through to the bottom of their creekline alluvium, and now take some flavour from the same ancient basement rocks as their hillside neighbours. This is certainly a very acrid wine: it really tickles the nostrils with carbon and almost burnt coffee bean woody lignins. Some of this is probably oak-derived, but healthy grapes have more lignin in drought: they put on the toughening woodier cells as protectives. These notions are more vivid as you drink the wine: it's another lithe slinker, but it has very recently rolled in the dust. As for fruit? Well, imagine you're somewhere between August Clape's Cornas and the best dry year Vacqueyras, then add the Australian dust. Now there's some hybrid terroir for the English. Of the 08s, this is my equal favourite. With the Grenache, which grew just up the slope on Roennfeldt's. That's no fluke."
Phillip White
Country:
Australia
Region:
SA- Barossa Valley
Variety:
Wine Red - Shiraz
Size:
750mL
