Halliday Fathers Day Vertical Tasting Pack
We have been selected to feature a pack in the James Halliday Wine Companion for the Fathers Day gift guide. Scott and Richard Austin, both Fathers themselves have hand-selected a selection of our finest Shiraz for a unique vertical tasting experience. Each pack is a celebration of our Moorabool Valley Shiraz, containing three of our superb vintage years; 2013, 2014 and 2015. The 2014 and 2015 vintages are exclusive pre-releases, the latter receiving a 95 point rating in the latest Wine Companion 2018.
Each wine is unique to its vintage year but all intertwined through the incredible terrior of this historic region. We asked our winemaker John Durham why the Moorabool Valley is ideal for Shiraz and this is what he had to say:
“Geelong enjoys the best of both worlds, namely maritime and continental climatic conditions which both play a part in determining our climate. This results in producing the attractive ripe generous characters of Shiraz seen in warmer climes but tempered by the savoury and spicy characters you see in cool climate Shiraz.You could say Geelong Shiraz has a split personality but I prefer to think it has the richness, depth, complexity and nuance.”
The Wine Companion has the following to say about the wines included in the pack:
Austins & Co. Shiraz 2015 – Wine Companion tasting note.
Rating: 95
Drink By: 2040
Date Tasted:
17 Mar 2017
Alcohol: 14.5%
James Halliday – Published on 01 Aug 2017
Hand-picked, destemmed, open-fermented, 15% whole bunches, matured in mostly used French oak for 12 months. Has the extreme power of its 6ft6 sibling, but polishes the raw edges with the help of the whole bunch inclusion and the quality of the fruit selection. If you are looking for otherwise and balance to provide a full-bodied shiraz that can be drunk now, the spicy elements and fractionally softer tannins of this wine should do the trick.
Austins & Co. Shiraz 2014 – Wine Companion tasting note.
Rating: 93
Drink By: 2035
Date Tasted: 26 Mar 2016
Alcohol: 14%
James Halliday – Published on 06 Oct 2016
Part picked early to provide natural acidity, part at full maturity, part kept as whole bunches. Very cabernet sauvignon and structured fruit flavours spanning red to black are the driving force for the intense palate. Does need time to loosen up.
Austins & Co. Shiraz 2013
Our 2013 Shiraz doesn’t have a Halliday rating as we didn’t send it in for review, however it has a high rating on Vivino – view that here
Our tasting note: An outstanding expression of the Moorabool Valley’s cool climate terrior. Premium, hand-harvested fruit matured in French oak barriques has produced a wine of intense varietal character and age worthiness. Ripe, spicy black fruit characters are the hallmark of this Geelong Shiraz. Powerful yet balanced in flavour, it’s generous but bright cool climate nature ensures a rich weight and long finish.
2nd Generation Business
In 1982, Pamela and Richard Austin purchased a small 5 acre block in Waurn Ponds, Victoria. Driven by a love of the idea that they could grow grapes and make wine to be enjoyed with their friends around the dinner table, they developed a small vineyard of 3 acres.
Over the years, this passion developed and grew into a desire to make wine for not only friends, but for the general public as well. In 1990 they made the decision to expand, purchased 800 acres in the Moorabool Valley and set about planting a new vineyard. Over the course of five years they established 150 acres of vines, and Austins & Co. was born.
Scott took ownership of the business in 2008 and together with his wife, Belinda they have taken over the business and have a goal to become the leader producer of Cool Climate wines in Australia.
We invite you to enjoy the vintages in the pack in a vertical tasting at home. Included in each pack are tasting notes and vintage conditions for each year.