A real treat from Tyrrell's, the deep rich red colour hints at the intensity to come.
This Heathcote Shiraz is full of ripe plum and dark cherries on the nose which carry onto the palate, where they are accompanied by big soft fruit, white pepper, spice and light notes of vanilla. Time spent in French oak barriques has instilled an elegance that sits nicely with the natural acidity present, whilst fine tannins provide a complex structure to the wine.
Well worth decanting and allowing to breath for a while before sampling, it is big, bold and beautiful!
Accolades and Awards
93 Points - Huon Hooke, Huonhooke.com "Very deep, dark red/purple colour; rich, ripe black fruit aromas, with subtle deftly handled oak. The wine id full-bodied and ample, with abundant tannin in good balance, the finish long and full, while the flavour is mineral and ‘iron tonic-like’, typical of Heathcote. Long, firm finish, with a minerally quality which lingers and a major final grip."
91 Points - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front "Mint chocolate, blackberry, some pepper and pretty vanilla oak in the back. It’s big, but soft and juicy with well bedded tannin, balanced acidity and plenty of depth and flavour. Layers of plum and chocolate on the finish, but has fresh berried perkiness too. Smooth. Post purchase, I don’t think anyone will come away feeling disappointed."
Past Vintages
2012:
1 Silver 4 Bronze
90 Points - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion "Light to medium crimson-purple; shares many of the juicy characters of its Lunatiq sibling, with more dark fruit flavours, and less finesse; easy drink-now style with a touch of class."
From the Winery
We had an early start to harvest with the grapes coming off from the 25th of February through to the 10th of April. Good rains resulted in strong yields with the additional moisture helping develop bright, vibrant fruit with good definition and nice ripe tannins. Disease pressure was low as per the ‘norm’ allowing the fruit to fully ripen on the vine.
Individual blocks were harvested and transported to our Hunter winery in the cool of the night, with the temperatures usually below 100C. The batches were fermented separately in a combination of open and closed fermenters after gentle de-stemming, producing 14 cuvées, all having slightly different handling (pressed straight to wood, some with extended skin contact, some with whole fruit).
The wines were matured in predominately French oak barriques (20% new) in our temperature-controlled barrel shed at 16˚C for 18mths. During this period they were racked three times. We assessed the different batches over time, selecting the better ones for the ‘Rufus’ blend. Pleasingly, most were deemed good enough, highlighting the strength of the vineyard and the vintage.
