A sumptuous, ripe and very approachable Barossa shiraz whose delicious sour-edged and slightly jammy expression of blackberry, mulberry and blueberry fruit is backed by a sweet complement of coconut ice-like oak, some deliciously smoky complexity and framed by a smooth, silky cut of fine tannin. Perfumed and floral, scented with white pepper, it finishes long and quite savoury, with a fresh acidity. (Barossa Valley, $ 18.0/93, drink 2009-2012+) 93 points Jeremy Oliver
At Charles Melton Wines, great emphasis is placed on the quality of fruit. All grapes are dry grown and harvested from the winery’s own 50 acres of prime Barossa vineyard land, as well as from a select group of grapegrowers. Yields are extremely low with often only one tonne to the acre, and the vineyards are truly old with many exceeding 80 years. The oldest source for Nine Popes is a Grenache vineyard well over a century in age.
A range of techniques are employed during the winemaking process. These include: whole bunch fermentation, open fermentation, pigeage and indigenous yeast fermentation. These techniques allow a range of blending options to give the most complete wine, in terms of balance between pure fruit flavours and more earthy/gamey characters.
The dry reds are matured in both French and American Oak, 25% of which are new each year. This gives rise to a cellar style which has a kiss of superb oak character - rather than a thump, and allows the rich fragrance and flavours of old dry grown Barossa vines to move to the fore. Showing complexity from this range of vineyard sites and vinification techniques, the wines have demonstrated over the last decade an ability to cellar gracefully into mature examples of the finest Barossa styles.
