1997 Clarendon Hills Shiraz Astralis
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Tasting notes
The 1997 Astralis Syrah is the most elegant of this quartet. It reveals a similar meaty, bacon fat, blackberry, and black currant-scented nose with hints of earth and pepper in the background. Not as dense as either the 1996 or 1998, it is a more feminine, stylish effort offering a rich, layered texture as well as sweet tannins. It is 1-3 years away from full maturity, and probably will not last as long as the more blockbuster-styled efforts of 1996 and 1998.
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Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 1997 Astralis Syrah is the most elegant of this quartet. It reveals a similar meaty, bacon fat, blackberry, and black currant-scented nose with hints of earth and pepper in the background. Not as dense as either the 1996 or 1998, it is a more feminine, stylish effort offering a rich, layered texture as well as sweet tannins. It is 1-3 years away from full maturity, and probably will not last as long as the more blockbuster-styled efforts of 1996 and 1998. Jun 2009, www.robertparker.com
Full ruby. Superripe aromas of roasted plum, saddle leather, smoked meat, mint and oak spice. Huge, thick and sweet; extraordinarily ripe but supported by firm, ripe acids. Really suffuses the palate with sweet fruit. Explosive aftertaste features roasted berry, leather and woodsmoke notes and uncanny sweetness. Showing extremely well today but built to age.
About the producer
Based in the McLaren Vale, Clarendon Hills has been one of the pioneering names in Australian wine. Focusing on single-site expressions of individual grapes, working with old dry-farmed vineyards, it has become one of the world’s leading producers, best known for its iconic Astralis Shiraz.