- WINERY Hesketh
- GRAPE Shiraz
- YEAR 2006
- COUNTRY Australia
- REGION Barossa Valley
Australia’s Barossa Valley is synonymous with plush, fruit-driven Shiraz; this one tempers its ripeness with an elegant restraint.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
When Shiraz is grown in a hot, sunny climate like Australia’s Barossa Valley, it can end up as a jammy fruit bomb, closer to Port than to anything you’d want to drink with a meal. Vintner Jonathon Hesketh is adamant about making balanced wines that pair well with food; his Protagonist Shiraz, made from low-yielding vineyards in cooler parts of the Barossa Valley, has that signature ripeness yet retains a minerally freshness. Hesketh is a roaming winemaker of sorts: Owning no vineyards or equipment, he makes small lots of wine from stellar vineyards all over Australia.
SMELL IT
Dark berry scents with a chocolaty edge.
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TASTE IT
Big and polished, with blackberry-cobbler flavors and a baked-earth note.
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SERVE IT
Cellar temperature— the bottle should be cool to the touch.
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