SCHILD ESTATE | Prämie | Shiraz | 2017
syrah

We will be evaluating wines in no particular order on no particular schedule. Just stay tuned and you will never miss our reviews. If the wine is tasted more than once, the rating table will be updated so as to reflect all the new impressions and observations.

Today we are are going to review a very special and even unique wine, as this is a single varietal and single vineyard syrah wine, sourced from the Narrow Road Vineyard of the famous Barossa Valley region of South Australia – Prämie Shiraz 2017 by Schild Estate. In a world where bolder is better, syrah is the perfect choice, as it is darker and spicier than cabernet sauvignon and contains a high amounts of health-invigorating antioxidants. Syrah, also known as Shiraz, can be vinified in two major styles: old-world style and new-world style. The old-world syrah wines tend to have more acidity and earthy-herbaceous aromas, while the new-world shiraz wines are usually fruit-driven with lots of spice and hints of smoke. This wine here is a textbook shiraz wine from a hot climate – a pure expression of the Barossa terroir, where the free run and the pressed wines are aged separately in a combination of new and twice used french oak hogsheads for a time period between 18 and 24 months and was signed by the winemaker Scott Hazeldine. The Narrow Road Vineyard sits high on the hills behind the township of Rowland Flat. The vines are grown adjacent to the original Schild Estate that was purchased and settled by Ben and Alma Schild in 1952 on what was known as the “Narrow Road“. Prämie translates from german as ‘gift‘ or ‘reward‘ and represents the best of what the land or terroir can offer. But enough with all that theory, that said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
_________________________________________________________________________
Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: deep ruby color
clarity: hazy garnet shades

//Olfactory
intensity: pronounced & earthy
fruit profile: red fruits | black fruits | dried fruits
__red fruits: redcurrant | cranberry
__black fruits: blackberry | black plum | aronia berry | black cherry
__dried fruits: dried blue plum | dried black cherry
fruit character: ripe & overripe & dried

//Flavor
non fruit: spicy | oaky | savory | earthy
__spicy: peppercorn | cloves | anise
__oaky: toasted oakwood | charred wood | tobacco | liquorice
__savory: iron | veal | leather | cured meat | black olive
__earthy: brown soil | clay | loam | marl | dust | compost | graphite | charcoal
primary layer: savory & earthy

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: ripe
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol & acidity
body: voluptuous | full body

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits & dried fruits
fruit character: overripe & dehydrated
non fruit: spice & dust
finish: long
aftertaste: crisp & seedy

//Scoring
SCHILD ESTATE | Prämie | Shiraz | 2017
variety: syrah
country: Australia | South Australia
region: Barossa Valley | Narrow Road Vineyard
rating: 94.8

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or age for 4 to 5 more years
verdict: great | a legendary wine

//Prediction
predicted RP rating: 91+

//RP Rating
actual RP rating: ?_________________________________________________________________________

This is definitely a great wine of Australia and, with a total of 94.8 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a textbook shiraz wine and definitely one of the best we have tasted so far: elegant, voluptuous and round, with a pronounced earthy-savory nose and an ample palate. The wine is still in its development phase, therefore we would recommend to give it at least 4 more years of bottle ageing, as the potential is clearly there, but make sure to not overdo it, as it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine displays a mixture of ripe and dehydrated black fruits and some very nuanced, earthy-savory notes in the foreground, followed by some spicy-dusty hints in the background and an elegant and subtle, oaky layer in between the two. On the palate the wine delivers vibrant acidity, ripe and fine-grained tannins and a well integrated alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel, which all lead to a pleasantly-seedy and crisp aftertaste. All in all, this is a blueprint, new-world shiraz wine with a mesmerizing, rustic, old-world delicacy and elegance – a terroir-driven wine that is mixing power with finesse. We believe that this wine will pair lovely with dishes that are rich in natural, savoury flavours, like for example a peppercorn-crusted filet mignon or an old-fashioned T-bone steak seasoned with spicy mix. Enjoy!

_________________________________________________________________________
© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.