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Tar and Roses Heathcote Shiraz 2008 Mitchelton is one of Victoria’s most historically important wineries and especially in the eighties and nineties, then winemaker Don Lewis was crafting some of the best reds in to come out of Mitchelton. Times change and other wineries have since overtaken Mitchelton in regards to quality and popularity but drinking the wines made under Don Lewis from their glory days today (nearly twenty years down the track), it is still obvious that these wines deserved the accolation that they received. Don Lewis has since moved on and along with Narelle King, he spends a lot of time in Spain making wine really good wines. There new Australian project ‘Tar and Roses’ for me has a very European feel to it. Whilst the 2008 Shiraz comes from Heathcote, the wine is a mix of both Spain and Australia in terms of style and structure. I really like it and for $14.99 a bottle, this is the sort of wine that characterising the ‘New Australia’. In regards to ‘New Australia’, what this means to me is that winemakers are now trying make wine with soul, rather than just masses of over-ripe fruit. This wien is savoury, earthy, interesting and the best thing of all, not dominating. It still has masses of dark fruits, it is perfectly balanced and drinks well from day one. This is the sort of style that winemakers like Vinea Marson, Giaconda and Clonakilla have perfected in the last decade. At $14.99 a bottle, Tar & Roses Heathcote Shiraz fits the bill perfectly and this week we are glad to make this our feature release. Anthony D’Anna Winemaker Don Lewis adores the tannins, structure and distinctiveness of Spanish wines. The grapes for Tar & Roses are from three distinctive Heathcote vineyards, two of which must be hand picked, all components are treated separately during their fermentation and maturation. The larger volume of shiraz comes from richer Cambrian soils, while the smaller parcel is grown to much tougher grantic soils. The first component makes a rounder, fuller fruit driven wine, while the latter is more restrained and elegant.