Tar & Roses The Rose Shiraz 2019 - Heathcote Victoria Australia

95/100 Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
90/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review
95/100 Jeni Port, Wine Companion (2018 vintage)
91/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2018 vintage)
90/100 Wine Spectator (2018 vintage)
95/100 James Halliday, Wine Companion (2016 vintage)
96/100 Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion (2014 vintage)
95/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2014 vintage)
93/100 The Wine Front (2014 vintage)

Best in Show by Varietal - USA Wine Ratings
Gold - USA Wine Ratings
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards
Bronze - London Wine Competition
Silver - Sakura Awards (2018 vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2018 vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2014 vintage)

Jeni Port, Wine Companion 'Crushed and destemmed. Racked off gross lees and into barrel for mlf and maturation in French barriques (28% new). Contains a powerful fruit component from ancient Cambrian soil, which helps explain the generosity, energy and textural intrigue in this wine. Packed with blackberry, dark chocolate and dried herbs. Rolls out across the palate with an earthy warmth and fine tannic edge."

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Deep red colour with a strong purple tint, youthful and bright to regard. The bouquet is restrained but has an interesting spiciness, cloves, nutmeg; the palate full-bodied, soft-textured and mellow. Fleshy mouth-feel. There are lots of supple tannins that should see it age well, but the wine is also very approachable now. "

Jeni Port, Wine Companion "Poised yet powerful, The Rose goes for minimalist labelling, letting the wine do the talking. It speaks of the Heathcote soil, of blackberry concentrate but also of Central Victorian warmth and generosity. Dense and bold, sweet-fruited but with a dried herb, Aussie bush character - and just a smidge eucalypt - it sings with a strong voice." (2018 vintage)

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Deepish red/purple colour with an earthy, plummy aroma with some herbal nuances and the tannins are a bit grippy and sappy. A slight sulfide overtone. The aftertaste is quite bitter. Twenty-four hours later, the wine was transformed: not as bitter, only faintly sulfidic, deep flavoured, concentrated and powerful, with spice, black-fruit and a hint of bitumen among the aromas. Full-bodied, firm and cellarworthy" (2018 vintage)

James Halliday, Wine Companion "The icon release from Tar & Roses. Deep, bright colour; the dark fruits (black cherry, blackberry, plum, etc) have a delicate step when you were expecting something more, but finesse can provide length and intensity, all translating into elegance, which is what you get here." (2016 vintage)

Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion "Beautiful tannin and structure with this full-bodied shiraz, all the regional flavours at play - dark fruits, satsuma plums, blueberries, bay leaves and graphite/ironstone/the smell of Heathcote soil. There's plenty of spice and oak, but it's stitched well into the fabric of this impressive wine." (2014 vintage)

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Very deep, bright, youthful red/purple colour with again a fresh, vigorous bouquet which is loaded with fresh, spicy, plummy shiraz aromas and flavours. Blackberry on the palate, too. It’s rich and full-bodied, softly-textured and accessible, with fine supple tannins and loads of charm. A stand-out shiraz. It still has a bright and long future if cellared." (2014 vintage)

The Winemaker "Classic central Victorian Shiraz blend, replete with sweet black cherry, blood plum and liquorice characters. As with previous vintages, the grapes come from two main vineyards, one off the deep red Cambrian soil, the other from the tougher more gravelly ground. The first gives us rich, chocolatey and earthy flavours whilst the other has more highly fragrant notes with good acid and sweet fruit. The wine that results is our take on Heathcote shiraz."

The original Tar & Roses team of famed Don Lewis and Narelle King began their winemaking journey in Priorat, Spain, immersing themselves within the classic Mediterranean wine regions and varietals. This sparked an interest in how these varietals could be grown and made back home in their native regions of Central Victoria, Australia. Don, now passed was one of Australia's legendary winemakers earning the highest honour of winemaking in Australia, the prestigious Jimmy Watson award.

James Halliday "Tar & Roses produces wines inspired by the classic Mediterranean varietals and was named after the signature characteristics of Nebbiolo. The name also ties back to the winemaking team behind the venture, the legendary Don Lewis and his winemaking partner Narelle King. Narelle is carrying on the Tar & Roses tradition after Don's passing in 2017"

Tar & Roses style of wines reflects the multi-region of Spain, Italy and Australia, as well as traditional winemaking alongside the new. All Tar & Roses wines are made using fruit grown in Heathcote, Strathbogie Ranges, Alpine Valley, King Valley and Priorat, Spain.

Heathcote is a prestigious wine region in Central Victoria. Shiraz is the unchallenged king of Heathcote wines, making world-class, award-winning wines characterized by their rich and deep aroma profile, a dark, almost inky colour, ripe, velvety tannins and an amazingly long finish.

Shiraz is the name given to the dark-skinned Syrah grape when grown in Australia and selected pockets of the New World. Though genetically identical, the stylistic differences between Shiraz and Syrah are usually pronounced.

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.