Clarendon Hills Astralis

[Luke W]

Never tried this wine but the local DM were flogging the 2006 for $220 and I couldn't help but buy a couple. Can anyone describe these wines?

[fts70]

I rarely venture outside the Barossa but the wines from Jasper Hill in Victoria and Roman´s wines from McLaren Vale are two exceptions. Astralis in its best renditions has always great structure and backbone. Tannic, firm and definitely the most Côte-Rôtie-like of the big Aussie guns for a European palate. The wines often sport hazelnut coffee and dark bitter chocolate notes to add more complexity to the usual black berries and oak. The best vintages have an old-viney, earthy-minerally core that few other wines can match. Astralis is a big wine, no question about it, but it should also be supple and hopefully even graceful! You see some reviewers mentioning that you can drink them from the get go; that, to my mind, is a great mistake, that is when they differ the least from their competitors. I won´t be touching my 06s til 2016 and I expect them to last at least two decades from then on.

Greetings from Europe /fts70

[Luke W]

Thanks for that

[michel]

i had a 2002 of this 2 years ago with a group of friends
i purchased it and cellared it
i was impressed by the fruit and structure
not ott at all
i wish i had another

[rooman]

Funny, I just had a long discussion this morning about this wine with a friend of mine who is a wine rep. He was saying he went to a Langton's tasting recently and in his view this wine was better than the Grange, Hill of Grace and a couple of the other top SA wines. So far as he is concerned, this should be regarded as our top shiraz.

[Polymer]

I've tried the Astralis probably half a dozen them...and have only had them relatively young but I have yet to have one I liked at all.
I love Cote Rotie, I don't think they're anything like that. Maybe with age they start taking on some of the same flavors...To me the low acidity makes it nothing like Northern Rhone...although everyone associates things differently..for me texture wise, I wouldn't associate the two at all..

There was a blowout on these a few years ago in the US...I think down close to 100..On the low side they're like 160 USD but typical retail is somewhere in the 200s.

Scored very well by Robert Parker....I've seen someone say this isn't a big Australian Red...I've always felt it was very big. Ripe fruit, big oak, low acid...

220 AUD IS a pretty good price for that wine if you look at its historical pricing...and most people seem to say it ages very well....Even if you end up deciding to get rid of it via Auction today, you'll probably break even...and based on its reputation I doubt the price will decrease....

[Pat]

I recently purchased a 2004 and a 2010. I haven't tasted them yet so I can't comment on that aspect, however I did pay more than $220 per bottle, so you either got a good deal or I got a bad one!.

[sjw_11]

Hmm my local wine merchant here has the 2006 Australis for $220 SGD ... they also have the 1999 for $210.

WA 99
The flagship of Clarendon Hills is the 2006 Syrah Astralis Vineyard. It is holding more in reserve but when it has fully blossomed in another 10-15 years my score may appear conservative.

Roman Bratasiuk’s Clarendon Hills is one of the world’s great wine estates. The wines are all 100% varietal, produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache, and Syrah. The vineyards are all ungrafted, planted on their own roots, most of them with very old vines. Only French oak is utilized, seasoned barrels for the Grenache, 100% new for the Merlot and Cabernets, and 50-100% new for the Syrahs depending upon the vineyard. The wines typically spend 18 months in oak prior to bottling without fining or filtration. All of the above 2006 bottlings were reviewed from barrel samples in Issue 173. The vintage was an excellent one, not quite as exceptional as 2005, but there may be cases in which selected 2006s may eventually outshine their 2005 counterparts. All of the 2006s fell within their predicted ranges (mostly near the high end) so I will keep my comments brief. Clarendon Hills 2006 Syrahs are superb. They appear to be less structured and more forward than the 2005s and will be more approachable early on.
JM Feb 2009

[TrickyH]

Funny, I just had a long discussion this morning about this wine with a friend of mine who is a wine rep. He was saying he went to a Langton's tasting recently and in his view this wine was better than the Grange, Hill of Grace and a couple of the other top SA wines. So far as he is concerned, this should be regarded as our top shiraz.

I attended the Langtons tasting and tasted all three (Astralis, HOG, Grange) and there is no doubt in my mind that the Astralis was considerably better than both the HOG and Grange, but this isn't saying much - geez I thought the Keyneton was drinking better than both of those - it was the only one I felt compelled to purchase after the event - that and the Langi.
I'm not sure how long the Astralis had been opened for, but I wouldn't have called it oaky. If anything the low acid and upfront fruit made it very easy to throw down - but I wouldn't want to call a $400 wine a quaffer! Pleasant and smooth but not complex - not very good VFM in my opinion.

[KMP]

Was offered the Australis here in San Diego by a local wine shop a couple of weeks ago for $100/bottle: just bought the one bottle. Told on the weekend that they ended up selling 60 bottles in a few days. Not sure where the wine came from - this shop tends to pick up Aussie wine that has been laying around for a few years looking for a buyer, and there seems to be a lot of wine waiting for a buyer these days.

Mike

[Mike Hawkins]

It's not a wine I've ever been overly enamoured with, especially at the price. That said, I rarely enjoy MV wines, so maybe my bias shines through.

Mike

[damonpeyo]

You brought it from DM's at Rocky?

Used to live in Rockhampton/worked on Great Keppel Island decade ago.

These wines you purchased probably been sitting under display lights for years? I noticed this in places where premium wines are not biggest sellers, you usually can tell by looking at the labels colours fading away a bit, especially lighter coloured labels like Tyrell's, etc

I travel and move a lot and often spot interesting aged wines at DM's but not willing gamble to purchase wines from them, but I did take a punt couple years ago, found a '98 or '99 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling, it was really good and enjoyable, just the cork was bit f#$ked.

Just annoys me where I see these large chain bottlo's displaying Wendouree's, etc etc in places where premium wines are not biggest sellers, yet they are displayed in poor conditions. What a waste. IMO.

Hope your wines turn out good.

Cheers,

Damon

P.S. I wonder if wines brought in those kind of places are usually more advanced matured/aged than under ideal conditions, so if the '06 Australis should be drank sooner than expert's drinking window's opinions? If you know what I mean?

[wineforlife]

I cannot agree more.
Dan Murphy in Willoughby has a massive display window and most of the super premium stuff is getting sun tanned (they have 1 st growths, romanee conti plus all other cult wines from all over the world )

Most are dispayed in a 60 degree angle and I can see the corks not touching the liquid.
I have touched the wines and they are literally WARM. I have bought some from there and some were heat affected or sun tanned for sure lol They need air conditioning there all year not just for summer!

[Luke W]

Sorry to disappoint u guys but these wines came straight from an unopened box - nice projecting tho'

[damonpeyo]

lucky bugger

[Michael McNally]

Sorry to disappoint u guys but these wines came straight from an unopened box - nice projecting tho'

That was very restrained of you Luke.

Well done!

Cheers

Michael

[Luke W]

Sorry to disappoint u guys but these wines came straight from an unopened box - nice projecting tho'

That was very restrained of you Luke.

Well done!

Cheers

Michael

I'm lucky Michael, my local DM wine manager is very particular and knows his stuff. He even often lurks around auswine forum!

[rooman]

I'm lucky Michael, my local DM wine manager is very particular and knows his stuff. He even often lurks around auswine forum!

I have often wondered if some of the Aus wine writers also check out the forums from time to time when looking for ideas for articles. I have noticed a few times over the years, an active topic on one of the two main forums turns up a month later in a wine article.

[mse]

I got an extremely bad deal! I just bought an unopened 6 pack of Astralis 2010 from Vintage Cellars yesterday for $400/bottle, I noticed that Langton's recent winning bid prices were only $250/bottle. Time to convince my friends to buy a couple of bottles from me.

[Diddy]

I got an extremely bad deal! I just bought an unopened 6 pack of Astralis 2010 from Vintage Cellars yesterday for $400/bottle, I noticed that Langton's recent winning bid prices were only $250/bottle. Time to convince my friends to buy a couple of bottles from me.

Great mate you are!

[mse]

I got an extremely bad deal! I just bought an unopened 6 pack of Astralis 2010 from Vintage Cellars yesterday for $400/bottle, I noticed that Langton's recent winning bid prices were only $250/bottle. Time to convince my friends to buy a couple of bottles from me.

Great mate you are!

Just kidding I will just return the stock and ask for refund/exchange.

[redwhiteandrose]

That said, I rarely enjoy MV wines, so maybe my bias shines through.

Mike

Mike, I'm rather surprised you say that as I thought you were a big fan of South Australian reds. I would have thought anybody who liked Barossa wines would like McLaren Vale wines, too. They are as close in style to Barossa as you can get I would have thought.