Monday, March 15, 2010

A Sydneysider's take on the NV Sparking Shiraz

Since having the Collective Barossa shop open, our stocks of the NV Sparkling Shiraz have been getting less by the week, which is of course, a good thing. In the next few months we will have another release but in the meantime, if you want to try it, pop in the shop, or if you want to buy some of our current release, please contact us.

It is a remarkable and delicious example of this great Aussie wine. Here is the latest review from Andrew Graham, our friend and independent wine writer from Sydney, who we had the great pleasure of meeting a month ago.


Karra Yerta Wines NV Sparkling Shiraz
Karra Yerta Sparkling Shiraz NV - 2009 disgorgement (Eden Valley, SA)
$35, Crown Seal, 14.5%
Source: Sample

www.karrayertawines.com.au

'It's a real pity this class has detiorated to this level'


They were the judges comments at this years Sydney Wine Show for the premium 'Sparkling Red Wine, bottle fermented' class (that this wine would theoretically sit in). I'm not sure whether that is an indication of the waning quality of Australian sparkling reds, a reluctance for wineries to show sparkling reds, or just a dud bracket of wines, but it does make for interesting reading for anyone with a love of the style (which I am).


Anyway, like all the other Karra Yerta wines, this is a smashing drink, and I say that with glee, as Marie & James Linke are great people too, which just puts smiles on everyones dials.
Actually, it can be very hard to review wines for genuinely good people, as good people don't always produce good wines, and often the best wines are produced by maniacal control freaks and egotistical wankers.

But back to the wine. Lovely purple colour, with a massive frothy purple mousse that you just want to stain the table cloth with (just for effect). Interestingly, the nose is actually pretty subdued, with some sweet berried dosage the only thing escaping from the deeply black coloured juice. Palate is medium bodied and starts quite lightly with the same berries from the nose, the palate sweet initially, but fans out rather dry and long, with some proper fruit tannins rounding out the tail.


What I like most about this wine is its mediumness. It's unquestionably Barossan and juicy, but also quite constrained, dry and mellow, almost as if the base material has an extra year or two on it, even if the colour and freshness suggest otherwise.


Nice wine. 18/93

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