Tasting Notes colour Very dark purple-black and shiny. aroma The initial impression is of dark small berries freshly picked from the vine. Delve deeper and you get sandalwood, vanilla pod and black peppercorns. palate The wine is medium-bodied but in saying that it has an incredible vinosity which has to be experienced to realise just how powerful this wine really is. The structure and flavours are monumental with a finish that goes on and on. One of the greatest Eagle’s made to date. cellaring Cellar 15–20 years. [split] Technical vintage The 2015 vintage was a warmer year with a bigger riper style of wine than you would normally see from Dalwhinnie. The wines have texture, fruit complexity and glycerol to make them absolute stand-out wines. winemaking The grapes for this wine were picked at optimum ripeness. They were then crushed and de-stemmed with a large percentage of whole berries, and put into a 5 tonne open fermenter. A cold soak took place for three days before the alcoholic fermentation started. Temperature was controlled at around 26 degrees C. After an eight-day ferment was complete a further three weeks skin contact was carried out to enhance maximum colour and flavour compounds. Wine was then pressed out in a large airbag press and pumped straight to barriques for malolactic fermentation and 18 months oak maturation. The wine was filtered and bottled in November the following year. region Pyrenees variety Shiraz analysis Alcohol: 13.5% pH: 3.35 Acidity (TA): 7.2 g/L [split] Reviews halliday wine companion 2020 Deep purple-crimson, not just any eagle, but one with the grace and power of the wedgetail eagle, Australia’s foremost avian symbol (emus don’t fly). Juicy blackberry, anise and a mix of spice and pepper are wonderfully fresh and mouth-watering thanks to the controlled alcohol and mouth-watering acidity. [points rating="97" title="James Halliday Wine Companion 2020"]
