Tatiarra Cambrian Shiraz 2013

The 2013 vintage was an outstanding one for Tatiarra. Upon completion of tasting and compiling the final blends winemaker Ben Riggs commented… "Wow and ouch. Wow because 2013 blends are crazy good and ouch cause geeze that's a hard tasting, so concentrated and awesome."

The Tatiarra Vineyard, located in the Heathcote region, was established in the early 1990s and consists of 10 acres of low cropping shiraz vines. The flagship Cambrian Shiraz represents a wonderful expression of the Tatiarra Vineyard's terroir and is a classic, big Heathcote Shiraz.

"A super release of Cambrian Shiraz that brings the essence of Heathcote to the glass. Full-bodied and flavoursome, bursting with sweet, ripe black fruits. It brings a deeper concentration of fruit than the standard 'Culled Barrel' release and with its judicious oak regime and taut tannins, slightly more poise."  Nick Munday

"Tatiarra's Heathcote Vineyard occupies a unique parcel of earth. Around 500,000,000 years ago, natural forces, moulding the world, hardened the planet's surface forming Cambrian rock. Today, that rock exists as a discontinuous band of red earth, extending from the Heathcote township and running north past Colbinabbin, parallel to the Mount Camel range. The Tatiarra Vineyard is sustained by this band of soil derived from this ancient Cambrian rock in which Shiraz vines thrive, producing fruit of incomparable quality and wines of matchless character. The resulting wines are perfectly balanced, possessing tremendous exuberance and are capable of long term cellar development.

The 2013 Tatiarra Cambrian Shiraz is the best to date. A perfect expression of Heathcote shiraz. Very deep, almost opaque colour; layers of pure blackberry and dark plum fruit on both the nose and palate complexed by spashes of spice and pepper, the oak perfectly balanced and integrated. The wine is a wonderful expression of conrolled power, elegant and light on its feet, with great structure and length."  Tatiarra

Expert reviews

"A super release of Cambrian Shiraz that brings the essence of Heathcote to the glass. Full-bodied and flavoursome, bursting with sweet, ripe black fruits. It brings a deeper concentration of fruit than the standard 'Culled Barrel' release and with its judicious oak regime and taut tannins, slightly more poise."  Nick Munday, Canterbury Wines - 96 points

"The deep, dense colour heralds an uncompromisingly full-bodied wine, crammed with black fruits, graphite, bitter chocolate and tannins; oak adds its support to a wine with a very, very long future. Drink by 2033."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 93 points 

About the winery

The Tatiarra Vineyard is located in the Heathcote region and was established by Bill Hepburn in the early 1990s and consisted of 10 acres of low cropping shiraz vines. Tatiarra is an Aboriginal word meaning 'beautiful country'. Bill lived out of a trailer on the property, not far from a large gum tree under which he built a thunderbox - thus the inspiration for Tatiarra's flagship wine, the 'Caravan of Dreams'. Tired of the long cold nights, Bill sold the property to a group of investors. The property grew in acreage and now occupies 143 acres entirely planted to shiraz. The company's obsession is not to be the biggest, but rather one of the best Shiraz producers in the world.

Tatiarra's north-facing vineyards are located on the western side of Mount Camel and lie on the famed red Cambrian soil. The wines are made by renowned winemaker Ben Riggs, who commutes from McLaren Vale to Scotchmans Hill winery in Geelong to make the wines. The wines are powerful with a monumental structure and richness.