Craiglee Sparkling Red No.6
Cloudwine's Red Sparkling of the Year.
Craiglee is one of the treasures of our national wine history, with a vineyard planted mostly to Shiraz and Riesling and records harking back to the 1860s. Now, there are no questions, this winery produces on of the finest cool-climate shirazes in Australia. But what is not commonly known is that in the cooler years, they produce a stunning sparkling shiraz and this year we have exactly that. A sparkling shiraz from on of Australia’s finest shiraz producers. There were only 100 dozen produced, so this is not going to last.
For those who are unaware of Craiglee, this it was established in 1860 and prospered until the 1920s when it fell into disuse and decay. The vines removed and with no wine made here until more than 50 years later when Pat Carmody arrived and replanted the vineyard and re-established winemaking, once again with Shiraz the main focus. With the addition of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc Craiglee has an interesting array of wines to choose from, but there is more to it than this as seen in this excellent red sparkler.
The bead is very fine and persistent-even into the second day! Nice deep plummy hue with hints of purple in there too, then the aromas come. Spicy plum/berry, some richness/sweetness from the dosage component, a whiff of fine white pepper slips in under the fruit and this is a very inviting drop. Onto the palate and the picture is completed by gently ripe tannins supporting more of that rich/ripe fruit, some cedary/nutmeggy oak notes, even some quartzy/crushed rock elements are present, then it finishes dry and lingering warm at the end. Roast turkey please!