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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 94.9 pts. and median of 95 pts. in 9 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by peternelson on 9/24/2020 & rated 94 points: Wow, I don't drink much Aussie Shiraz but this was killer. I was afraid I would get beaten up by oak and flattened by the fruit. OK, there's certainly is oak on this, but so nicely integrated by now and the fruit as well. Rich but tangy, starting tertiaries, with mocha and almost bitter cacao notes, smoky nuance, slight eucalyptus thing, lightly stewed black fruits, old raspberry puree, not gooey or sweet, but complex and long with killer balance for a big boy. In perfect shape. No signs of over-aging, will hold for another 5-10 easily IMHO. But then came the La Turque....
Langham Hotel Terrace w/Yarom and gang (790 views) | | | Tasted by Quiet Lion on 3/23/2018 & rated 95 points: My first Ringland. Plenty of youthful red fruit with a quirky finish of cherry cola. It put on some weight after a short decant. Not much complexity but delicious and unusual. (1165 views) | | | Tasted by djw on 1/19/2011 & rated 94 points: Decanted 1 hour. Smooth and silky. Blue berry and black berries. Licorice notes. Long smooth finish. (3739 views) | | | Tasted by TMacpherson on 2/13/2010 & rated 96 points: This wine was aged in 100% new oak for 36 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Tonite there wasn't a hint of wood. The nose was a beautiful -- yet powerful -- mix of ripe plums, blueberries, and black raspberries. Some said they had a hint of nori, but I didn't get that. On the mouth the wine was silky smooth with the acidity in perfect balance. The deep dark fruit was also in perfect harmony with the relatively sweet tannins. The finish was an elegant yet well defined 45+ seconds. This was very different than the '99 and '00 Chris Ringland's we've had previously. Much better balance at a quarter of the cost. (3675 views) | | | Tasted by rthun on 9/11/2009 & rated 96 points: Near black color with slight brick around the rim. Nose of eucalyptus and candied, dark fruits. Excellent mouth feel. Flavors of dark cherries, currants, eucalyptus, licorice, tar, mint, anise and beef blood. Finish goes on and on in the mouth. Well balanced - not your typical, clumsy, overly alcoholed Aussie fruit bomb. For my palate, Chris Ringland makes the best Aussie wines hands down. Randall’s Hill is supposedly made in off years. Chris may have been too hard on this vintage – this should have been a Three Rivers/Chris Ringland designation from my vantage point. If you want to get a try of Three Rivers/Chris Ringland quality for half the price, get a bottle of the 1997 Randall’s Hill if you can find one. Wine will probably be at its peak in 2 years. Drink now. 96+ (3557 views) | | | Tasted by rsepulve on 9/27/2008 flawed bottle: Beautiful dark fruit and flowers when initially opened but once in the glass (after a 4 hour decant) it was obviously madeirized. You just never know what you'll get when you buy at auction. (3273 views) | | | Tasted by gr8r84u on 11/9/2007 & rated 97 points: When Rob showed up at dinner and dropped this bottle on the table my draw dropped. I've been wanting to try a Ringland for some time. It did not disappoint. Truly Amazing! Bursting with juicy red and black fruits. I have never had a wine before that felt like it was oozing fruit but none of the tar undercurrent often taste in Shiraz. It has been 24hrs and I can still taste and smell it. Seamless integration... near perfect balance. I loved this wine. This is proof that Aussie Shiraz can age with grace. Thanks Rob (3345 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 7/2/2005: You like this style a lot or you don't. huge, massive blueberry, blackberry and plum with lots of spice. Same dense black fruit, just so massive, concentrated and jammy it comes across as awkward to me. Impossible to enjoy with almost any meal. Long, firm finish provides more of the same. Unquestionably well done in its style. (1195 views) | | | Tasted by Eric on 5/14/2004 & rated 92 points: Seattle Tasting Group does Syrah (Seattle, WA, USA): My bottle. The nose shows violet, VA, tar and latex. On the palate this is very 'bright' and beautifully balanced with lots of raspberry. The finish is very tight and young with lots of structure. (4414 views) |
| Chris Ringland Producer website
My Property
When I purchased the property, the Northern, South-East facing sector, surrounding the old settlers cottage, was bare pasture. I grazed sheep here for a few years, before planting 250 olive saplings in 2000, with the view of producing small amounts of olive oil. Dry grown, they have produced under 100 litres of olive oil in their lifetime. There is nothing quite as satisfying as home grown olive oil (well, perhaps home grown Shiraz beats it, but not by much!).
The old Barossa Settlers cottage on the property eventually had to go, so in 1998, I started planning a building project, culminating in 2005, with a house built to encompass the surroundings. The glass and straw bale residence was designed by Bohdan Dorniak and built by Tom Mikulic. The site of the original settlers cottage was really the best spot on the property for the new house, so, we demolished and took the opportunity of excavating an enormous hole, which was to become the underground maturation cellar for Chris Ringland Shiraz. Half of the excavation was also devoted to a massive underground rainwater tank. The 60,000L storage capacity also acts as a superb thermal stabiliser for the wine cellar, which maintains a year round temperature of between 13-18 degrees Celsius.
My Vineyard
Although I have lived in the Barossa since the early eighties, I was fortunate enough to purchase my property in the Barossa Ranges in 1994.
At a little over seven acres and at 1,500 ft above sea level, I have immensely enjoyed the time it has taken to restore the Shiraz vineyard, which was planted in 1910. It took me 10 years of pruning and re-trellising to get the ancient vines back into sustainable shape.
Because we have never had Phylloxera in South Australia, thanks to a 120 year quarantine by the wine industry funded Phylloxera board, the vines survive on their own roots. This enables them to attain a great age, while still remaining productive. As the most senior vines begin to decline, they are rejuvenated with younger growth material through the ancient technique of layering. Thus, the original root systems are maintained.
Why are old vines better? It is simply because they have survived in the same environment for so many seasons. They have become harmonious with their surroundings and strongly resilient to the swings of seasonal change. The roots extend deep into the underlying decomposed podzolic clay, which stores moisture during the Summer Months, eliminating the need for irrigation. In addition, the pond at the bottom of the vineyard acts as a passive water source, supplying the underlying soil strata with moisture. The pond is also a superb yabby dam (think Crawfish with nippers), which provide a delicious annual feast for my grape pickers. It's also home to a considerable population of frogs, which keep me awake on Summer nights.
The soil map shows that the property lies at the transition of two soil types. The Southern, North-East facing hillside is where the vineyard is located. It is a very sheltered site, well protected from Southerly storms. The underlying soils are the result of weathered rock from the Paleozoic age, some 500-250 million years ago. We believe that there was a semi-tropical rainforest at this location around 40 million years ago, hence the underlying, acidic, podzolic clays, which nurture the vine roots. Thus, it goes to show that what went on millions of years ago has direct impact on what we see today. The average annual rainfall is around 750mm, although the past few seasons have been unusually dry. It might sound a bit cliché, but, just like the watch advert, you never really own an ancient Shiraz vineyard, you are merely it's custodian for the next generation.
Chris Ringland previously marketed his wines through the partnership R WinesChris Ringland Shiraz Randall's HillChris Ringland Randall’s Hill Shiraz 2010
Key points
· Extremely Rare & Highly sought-after
· Old Vine Shiraz –from a 105 year old vineyard
· 2010 is only the third vintage ever made
· Tiny volumes of the 2010 made – just a few barrels
· Extremely complex, rich, powerful, concentrated and opulent - made in Chris Ringland’s signature style
Summary
Sourced from a tiny 2 hectare block of gnarled century-old vines on Flaxman’s Valley road in the Barossa Ranges, Randall’s Hill Shiraz is named in honour of Thomas Randall who planted the vineyard in 1910. The first vintage, made in 1995 was extremely well received. A second vintage made in 1997 soon followed. Then drought and extremely low yields conspired against any further releases until the exceptional 2010 vintage. The 2010 is a blend of centenarian old-vine Shiraz from the 2ha black and a small amount of fruit from the southern side of the hill planted in 1999.
Tasting Note for Randall’s Hill Shiraz 2010 from Chris Ringland
Opaque red-black. Crimson rim. Initial notes of black cherry conserve, with hints of smoke and aniseed. The oak maturation contributes elements of graphite and cedar. Dominated by flavours resembling stewed black plum, with minerals and sweet toasty vanillin. Medium to full bodied, bright acidity, mouth filling tannins and a persistent finish.
The back-story according to Chris Ringland.
In early June of 1994 it came to my attention that a small vineyard in the Barossa ranges, on Flaxman’s Valley road, was for sale. There had been no expressions of interest. The Australian wine industry was caught somewhat in the doldrums during the early 90’s. Grape prices were low and many growers struggled to make a viable living from their vineyards.
I drove up to the property on a gloomy, early Winter Sunday afternoon to take a look. To my surprise, I discovered a 5 acre ( 2 Hectare ) block of very old, although somewhat neglected Shiraz vines on a steep hillside.
The next morning I mentioned my discovery to my boss, Robert O’Callaghan and asked if he could take a look to provide an opinion. We hopped the fence and walked into the block. After a couple of minutes he said “ Well, the vines are very old, in good condition, but need a lot of work. You can’t go wrong”. He added “ If it helps, and you buy this, Rockford will purchase the fruit”.
With Robert’s help, I placed an offer and, to my astonishment, was the owner of the property at 6:30 that evening. To cope with the shock of unexpected vineyard ownership, I immediately set about pruning. It was a slow, laborious task. The vines hadn’t been pruned for several years. I had to cut over-grown cordons away from the ancient, rusting trellis wire. This step, by, step refurbishment was to take the next ten years, ultimately resulting in the complete replacement of the vineyard posts and wire.
As the Spring and Summer of 1994 unfolded, the build up to the 1995 vintage looked quite uncertain. Spring rains created vine disease pressure and, despite a heavy pruning, the yield was looking higher than ideal. Fortunately, the ripening conditions in February and March of 1995 were very favourable. Despite all this work, I was still not sure if the fruit would fulfil my expectations for the Three Rivers Shiraz label. We harvested the 1995 vintage on Sunday, April 9 and crushed the grapes at Rockford early on the morning of Tuesday, April 11. I sold half of the grapes to Rockford, retaining the harvest from the drier, more North-East facing sector of the vineyard hillside for myself.
During the first year of maturation, I decided that 2 of the 4 barrels were more fruit-forward, less brooding, and resolved to create a second label. These barrels were bottled after 24 Months. The Randall’s Hill label was born. I named the wine in honour of Thomas Randall, who purchased the property and planted the vineyard in 1910.
The wine was presented as a 3 pack and each bottle was offered at less than half the price of the corresponding Three Rivers. It was very well received. The 1996 vintage was exceptional. There was no Randall’s Hill. 1997 was altogether different. I decided that the seasonal conditions were not conducive to producing any Three Rivers, opting instead to repeat the approach taken with the first Randall’s Hill.
A 7 year drought and very low yields over the intervening years conspired against Randall’s Hill. It was not until 2010, when Shiraz from the Southern, young vine sector of the hillside, which I planted in 1999, started to bear fruit, that the impetus to re-introduce the label again emerged.
Shiraz Varietal article (Wikipedia) | Varietal character (Appellation America)Australia Wine Australia (Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation) | Australian Wines (Wikipedia)South Australia South Australian Wine Industry Association | South Australian Wines (Wikipedia)Barossa Barossa Wine (South Australian Tourism Commission) |
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