-
97
/ 100
Tyson Stelzer
Red
Classification
Shiraz Blend
Variety
2013
Vintage
750ml (Bottle)
Bottle Size
Australia
Country
Victoria, Yarra Valley
Region
14.5%
Alcohol %
15 Plus Years
Cellaring
Scores
97 / 100"Once in a very, very long while a wine bursts into the world and smashes the familiar paradigms of classic blends and traditional practices with the kind of distinction that sets it among the classics. Thousand Candles Yarra Valley 2013 leaves me grappling for a paradigm, and I land in uncharted territory. It's at once savoury like a great Wendouree, perfumed like Vosne Romanee and structured with the grip and assuredness of Hermitage. Yet it is emphatically and definitively Australian. With no varietal indications on the label, Bill Downie is reluctant to reveal its ingredients. "If it came from any other country, we wouldn't even ask, and Australia won't assume its rightful place in the world if we don't value place over variety." Mr Pinot no more, Downie has conjured the wine that will define the next chapter of his career and may yet go down as his finest to date " and it is, largely, not a pinot noir. To marry remarkable aromatic fragrance with such profound structure is astonishing, a feat which he puts down to a post-biodynamic regime of literally microscopic attention to vine health. The wine achieves a universe of complexity, yet upholds exacting focus and definition. It evolves and morphs in a gripping odyssey, leaping out of the glass with violets, exotic spice, black fruits and fresh liquorice straps, scaffolded around a mouth-embracing structure of wonderfully fine tannins. If you must know, the best of 100% whole bunch cool climate shiraz (55%) meets 50% whole bunch pinot noir (40%) and a dash of sauvignon blanc (5%)"
- Tyson Stelzer
Tasting Notes
This wine came about when William Downie was asked to make a wine that speaks of the best of what Australia can do. He has full control of the process from the vineyard to the final packaging. The wine is from one vineyard in the Yarra Valley and is a blend of Shiraz, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. The blend came about because Bill and the team felt that on their own they had three OK wines, but together they had a wine that offered “Truth in the Glass”. The wine spoke of where it came from. The wine making process was simply “Whole bunches in a vessel.” No destemming, no yeast additions, no crushing, no punched downs or pump overs. Even the Sauv Blanc was made with full stems and skins. In fact it spent almost a year on skins which would be considered almost heresy in most peoples winemaking manuals.
Thousand Candles caused quite a stir after its release. It is certainly a departure from traditional Australian wine making but one that has and pushed the boundaries and I feel in time this will be considered a classic.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity