Patrick of Coonawarra Joanna Shiraz 2017 ~ Coonawarra ~ South Australia

93/100 Stuart Knox, The Real Review
93/100 The Wine Front
92/100 Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion
92/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review
93/100 The Wine Front (2016 vintage)
Bronze - Erin Larking, Halliday Wine Companion (2016 vintage)
94/100 James Halliday Wine Companion (2014 vintage)
90/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2014 vintage)

Silver - The Melbourne International Beverage Competition (2014 vintage)
Silver - International Cool Climate Wine Show 2018 (2012 vintage)
Silver - Limestone Coast Wine Show 2017 (2012 vintage)
Silver - Australian Small Winemakers Wine Show 2017 (2012 vintage)
Silver - Wine Showcase New Release Tasting 2017 (2012 vintage)
Silver - The Melbourne International Beverage Competition (2012 vintage)
BEST IN CLASS - Winestate Magazine 'New Releases' July/ August 2017 (2012 vintage)

Stuart Knox, The Real Review "Dense core into a purple rim. Mocha, blood plum and rosemary aromas. Densely packed black fruit, olives and dried herbs all fill the senses as it powers with firm granular tannins from entry to the very long finish. A powerful and savoury driven wine that is still youthful and will offer further rewards in the cellar. "

Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion "Soft, creamy, custard-like oak sits atop medium-weight red-berried fruit, like a cherry pie in liquid form, like a bed made of marshmallows and roses. Oak, slightly minty, is prominent here, but so too is seduction."

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Deep, bold, bright and youthful purple-red colour, with a dominant coconut/vanilla bouquet that suggests generous use of oak. A solid cloak of dark chocolate and mocha. The palate has quite drying tannins. Full bodied, dense and hearty. A big mouthful of shiraz."

Erin Larking, Halliday Wine Companion "The significant time spent in oak has suffocated the fruit, here. There is some semblence of it on the very middle palate, however is goes under again as the wave of oak washes over it through the finish." (2016 vintage)

James Halliday Wine Companion "It has a pleasantly savoury makeup throughout the palate.." (2014 vintage)

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Deep, dark, brick-red to ruby colours, with a mocha, dark chocolate and earthy note, which almost suggests slight forward development, the palate confirming that it is a little lacking vitality. It has richness and concentration, but is not developing in a way that suggests further cellaring." (2014 vintage)

The wine was aged for 28 months in new American & Second Use French, tightly grained, barrels.

Patrick's of Coonawarra was founded by Patrick Tocaciu; one of Australia's leading wine (and AFL football) figures. Patrick's reputation for producing exceptional wine earned him many international accolades for the major labels he worked as Chief Winemaker, including; Tollana, Penfolds, and Hollick Wines. Patrick's distinguished reputation continued with the establishment of his own Patrick of Coonawarra Estate label. The wines are built on the solid foundation of extensive estate vineyards: 36 hectares in Coonawarra and 42 hectares in Wrattonbully. The Wrattonbully plantings contain shiraz, sauvignon blanc, and some of the riesling. All of the cabernet is grown in Coonawarra. The Estate is now managed by his eonologist son, Luke who continues the tradition of producing wines of varietal and regional excellence.

Coonawarra is the most important wine region within South Australia, credited with producing some of the best red wines in the entire country, and often described as Australia's most famous terroir. .

Shiraz, also known as Syrah is a popular red wine. Though the spiritual homeland of this red grape is France, Syrah has been planted throughout the world to great success. It expresses itself differently depending on the climate, soil and regional style.

Syrah is typically bold and full-bodied, with aromatic notes of smoke, black fruit and pepper spice. Stylistically, it can be round and fruity, or dense and tannic. And in warmer New World regions like Australia, Syrah is most often be called Shiraz.

Winemakers who work in cooler-climate growing regions, both in the Old World and New World, tend to call their wines Syrah. The most famous examples come from the northern Rhône Valley of France, notably Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie. In the New World, in regions like Sonoma Coast, California; Yarra Valley, Australia; and parts of Chile, the wines are called Syrah because they emulate the leaner, acid-driven, savory styles of the Old World French classics.

Shiraz tends to come from warmer growing climates, namely the South Australian regions of Barossa, McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills. Stylistically, these wines are lush, fruit-forward examples that embody the warmer, sunnier climate. Shiraz is so important to Australian viticulture that it is the most planted grape variety in the majority of Australian vineyards and has become virtually synonymous with the country's wine regions, and in particular the Barossa Valley.