Coates, South Australia
Great wines reflect their place of origin, and speak of the grape variety from which they are made. To achieve this goal Coates Wines has a no compromise approach to craft wines that blend the best in Australian and European winemaking styles, to bridge the gap between the fruit-driven Australian style and the savoury, complex wines of Old World Europe. The vineyards used to make the wines that bear the Coates label express purity of flavour that allow regional and varietal characters to be clearly articulated.
'The Shiraz Cabernet' 2018
The Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon is not a new wine, but rather a renaming of The Consonance Red. While the Consonance name had a resonance for me for as a Shiraz Cab blend (a combination of notes which are in harmony with each other due to the relationship between their frequencies), I decided to simplify the naming in line with my other wines (The Syrah, The Cabernet Sauvignon, The Malbec, The Chardonnay etc.).
The aim with The Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon is to provide a Shiraz ~ Cabernet Sauvignon blend that has a slightly Old World take on this classically Australian style. The plush structure and refinement of red blends matured for long periods in oak, from producers such as Vega Sicilia and Quintarelli, have attracted my attention and The Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon is my own amateurish experiment with this technique.
Fruit for the blend is primarily sourced from four excellent vineyards; two from Langhorne Creek, and one from McLaren Vale with vine age of 16 to 40 years. The parcels undergo natural yeast fermentation in open fermenters that proceeds for between 21 and 35 days. The longer time on skins provides colour stability and tannin structure without the use of added oenotannins. After basket pressing the individual parcels are transferred to wood to undergo malolactic fermentation. The Shiraz and Cabernet pressings are combined into barrel to provide structure and complexity to the final blend. Our oak selection was 100% French barriques of which 30% are new (from the Dargaud & Jaegle, Seguin-Moreau and Nadalie cooperages). Once in oak the wine is kept on fine lees and given minimal handling apart from one racking and regular topping and SO2 checks. After 30 months maturation the tannins have attained a silky finesse whilst retaining good structure for future bottle ageing. The assemblage was completed prior to bottling unfined and unfiltered in November of 2018. Final production stands at 160 dozen.
A good breathe in a decanter is recommended prior to serving as The Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon is a closed style that takes time to open up.
Tasting Notes
Inky crimson red in colour. An intense aroma of vibrant forest fruits accompanied by perfume, cardamom and subtle herbal notes. Plush and softly textured on the palate with blueberry and cassis fruits intermingled with dark earth and mocha flavours. The persistent finish is supported by a refreshing acid backbone and soft, pliant tannins. Best 2022 to 2035.
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