Description
“This is the new Aussie Shiraz, a wine hailed as such by so many, a wine you can’t put down. The Rayner Vineyard’s old vine Shiraz (dating back to 1947) gives its fresher expression in the ‘Violet Hour’ cuvée by using whole-bunch fermentation, gentler cap management, and an extended time on the skins. These crucial choices create an ethereal lift on the nose, a multi-dimensional hue of fresh fruit flavours, and a silken texture on the palate. Organoleptic: Before this even reaches my nose, wow, this eye-widening density of blue fruit with a side-chained harmony of macerated violet florals, reminiscent of Creme Yvette. On the palate a more anisette-like profile with spicy blueberry and a twist of just-cracked peppercorn. The acid here is just right too, perhaps its most alluring feature, neither over-asserted for a new-school natty style nor floundering with that Aussie flabbiness of the early aughts, it is just right, pulling the wine into textbook balance, allowing for an opulent, open, lush shiraz; a shiraz that is big without being boisterous; a shiraz that oak has helped elaborate without imposing oak’s spice; a shiraz that will convince the most ardent Aussie skeptic while delighting the most seasoned Aussie addict (like James Halliday — he’s given Violet Hour 97 points three of the last four years and twice named it in his excellent Top 100 Aussie Wines list, 2019 and 2021). Violet Hour should improve with grace over the next five years to ten years but is also excellent out the gate.” – Bondar Wines
