Complex nose of liquorice, black olive, ripe plum, mocha and dark cherries. In the mouth full, rich and dense. The flavour is dominated by dark cherries and chocolate, which last through the long aftertaste. Overall, I find this wine hedonistically very pleasant.
Astralis is the top of the range Shiraz produced by Clarendon Hills, an Australian wine producer, whose single vineyard wines I had the opportunity to appreciate a few times.
Clarendon Hills Winery was founded in 1990 by the biochemist Roman Bratasiuk in the McLaren Vale Wine Region in South Australia.
McLaren Vale is a well-regarded wine region located a few kilometers south of Adelaide, where a wide array of grape variety can be grown. The best wines come from very old vines, some planted more than 100 years ago. Shiraz leads the region’s list of award winning wines, but Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Mourvèdre also perform well. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominates the white grape varieties. This diverse portfolio of grape varieties, which also include Merlot, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Viognier, reflects the region varied grape-growing conditions.
Although I highly enjoyed this Astralis, with the 275 CHF I paid at ARVI For one bottle I prefer to buy half a case of one of the other Clarendon Hills’ outstanding single vineyard wine, which sells for less than 50 CHF a bottle.
Country: Australia
Region: McLaren Vale
Grapes: Shiraz
Type: Red
Vintage: 2005
Producer: Clarendon Hills
Price range: Luxury (>100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 5/5