Description
Duane Coates is one of the quiet achievers of the Australian Wine Scene (Masters in Oenology and an MBA from Adelaide University & soon to become a Master of Wine). His winemaking philosophy is simple: the highest quality fruit from sustainable vineyards (some organic), harvest when properly ripe and a natural winemaking approach (minimal intervention – wild yeasts, unfined, no additions of tannin, enzyme and acid). Huon Hooke said: “Every wine I’ve tasted of McLaren Vale’s Duane Coates has been excellent…” Highly impressive wines – a style that bridges the gap between fruit driven Australian style and savoury complex wines of old world Europe.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, from leading international website erobertparker.com said – “..a breath of fresh air in this area where a lot of producers seem to be following the herd down that incredibly ripe and sometimes over-ripe path that has caused not a few producers to come unstuck in heat-wave and drought conditions. These are superbly-crafted, well-priced wines that are wholeheartedly recommended”.
Fruit is sourced from three primary vineyards that range from 30 to 80 years in age. A blend of 55% Syrah from Willunga ( warmer site provides masculine depth of mulberry and spice) and 45% the sandy soils of Blewitt Springs (cooler site on edge of Adelaide Hills) provides elegance, fragrance, spice and freshness.
Wild yeasts, followed by 20 months maturation in 25% new French oak and select coopers (Seguin-Moreau, Nadalie, Marsannay, Remond, Darguad & Jaegle) provides complexity, integration and polymerization of tannins and beautiful harmony.
About the 2021 from the winemaker: “Deep crimson red in colour. Vibrant aromas of mulberry and plum accompanied by espresso, roasted spice and subtle charcuterie notes. Plush and softly textured on the palate with black fruits interwoven with black earth, liquorice and game nuances. The long finish is supported by layers of soft velvety tannin. Drink now to 2033.
“The Syrah represents a serious ‘over engineering’ of fruit and winemaking inputs to produce a wine that shows little compromise in quality alongside wines of many times the price.”
We love this wine year in, year out. This seriously over delivers with lovely depth of fruit, balance and complexity.
95 points, Ned Goodwin, Halliday Wine Companion “This is fine, the clutch of reduction pressed ever so gently against a framework of oak, serving to infuse a sense of tension as much as a lattice of structure. Cooler climatic allusions of iodine, blue fruits, tapenade, salumi and violet. The drive, long and fresh, belying any sense of warm-climate origins. Little wonder given the top cru portions of Clarendon and Blewitt Springs fruit in the mix.”
RRP $33 Our Price $28.99
(Want more than 6. Click here for Special Price)
