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Background |
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Gaelic
Cemetery Wines is a joint venture between Pikes
Wines and Barletta Bros. The
brief for the venture is simple and that is to craft small volumes
of a super premium, single vineyard-single varietal Clare Valley
wine that best reflects the vintage, varietal and uniqueness of
place.
Vineyard
The
joint venture and label are named after the originating vineyard
site on Gaelic Cemetery Road, next to the historic cemetery of the
region’s Scottish pioneers. The label design reflects the
simplicity and minimal intervention approach that is taken with
the wine. The central image of the thistle is taken from one of
the original headstones in the cemetery itself.
The
vineyard site is located approximately 3km north of the township
of Clare in a secluded valley of the Clare Hills. The property is
owned and operated by Grant Arnold who planted the site in 1996.
The Shiraz component of the vineyard is sited on the gently sloping,
easterly facing aspect of the property. Here the hungry soils are
gravelly loam, with limestone over red/yellow clay subsoil. After
a couple of early vintages it soon became quite evident that these
soils and the aspect of the vineyard were ideally suited to the
growing of low vigour/low yielding vines. Over the first 10 years
the crop level has averaged a tiny 1.9 tonnes to the acre.
This
vineyard is always one of the earliest ripening Shiraz vineyards
in the region and mystifyingly produces fruit with both natural
pH and acid analyses that can only be described as ‘beautiful
numbers’. There is no issue with achieving full fruit maturity
here.
Winemaking The
Gaelic Cemetery Shiraz is vinified at Pikes Vintners Clare Valley
Winery with the wine being made using a combination of traditional ‘old world’ and modern Australian techniques. Here the
emphasis is on capturing the essence of the vineyard with minimal
manipulation.
The
vineyard produces a naturally very powerful wine and minimal intervention
allows this to be expressed. There is no added tannin and wild yeasts
of the vineyard are encouraged to carry out part of the fermentation.
Typically the wine will remain on skins for approximately 20 days.
Gentle
pressing at dryness is followed by filling into new and used French
Oak 228L barriques sourced from Burgundian based tonelleries exclusively.
The wine is then gently racked several times during maturation and
will stay in barrel for an average of 24 months before final assembly
and bottling. Minimal or no fining/filtration is practiced to protect
as much of the vineyard character as possible.
To
date the reaction to the first release 2005Gaelic Cemetery Shiraz
has been very positive. Dr Jay Miller of the Wine Advocate (Nov
2007) described the wines as ‘..a legend in the making!’ and saw fit to award it a score of 98 points. High praise indeed.
Grower & Vineyard Owner : Grant Arnold
Winemakers :
Neil Pike & John Trotter
Sales & Marketing : Mario & Ben Barletta
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Vineyard Facts
Location
20 acres on Gaelic Cemetery Road
Approx 3km north of Clare Township
Topography
400 metres above sea level. East Facing slope, well drained. 550mm average rainfall per annum
Soils
Red brown loam with iron stone gravel over yellow clay and slate/bluestone.
Planting
Planted in 1996 to cuttings sourced from Pikes A10 Block, but thought to be 1654 clone. Planted on its own roots.
Trellising
Vines trained to 1.0m bilateral cordons, spur pruned, movable Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) foliage wire system installed.
Vineyard Practices
Hand pruned, minimal chemical usage. Mid row slashing/mulched with minimal irrigation. |
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Gaelic Cemetery Shiraz – tasting notes. |
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2007.
2007 Vintage Gaelic Cemetery Clare Valley
Shiraz nominated for the George Mackey Trophy (Best Australian Exported Wine)
Colour: Deep red / black
Aromas: Concentrated aromas of blackberry/blueberry with charry French oak underpinning the intense
fruit characters. Secondary notes of ironstone, roasted meat and eastern spices make for an interesting
and complex amalgam of aromas.
Palate: Richly flavoured and textured the wine fills the mouth with dark berry fruits, mocha
and spices. The flavours linger on and on finally dissipating to leave a fine layer of tannins and balanced
acid across the palate.
Summary: A very good wine from a difficult vintage in the Clare Valley. Maintains the integrity of style
that the Gaelic Cemetery Vineyard has developed in it's short history. No hurry with drinking this - it will
easily cope with 10-20 years of cellaring in a good environment.
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2006.
Colour: Very deep red/crimson.
Aroma: “Super ripe” dark cherry, chocolate and licorice along with a dash of charry French oak. Secondary aromas of blood plums, pepper and mineral are revealed after a little time in the glass. Very concentrated and complex.
Palate: Rich and ripe with sweet, dark berry fruits balancing out the firm, dry tannins and bright acid. Many different layers and textures become evident as the wine evolves in the glass.
Summary: Another powerful wine which, while still very young, again expresses regional elegance and possesses enough “stuffing” to go the distance. Again will take 10 + years to show its best. |
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Alcohol 15.5%
TA 6.7 g/L
pH 3.57
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2005.
Colour : Deep red – almost black,
Aroma: Complex aromas of “super ripe” blueberry fruit, ironstone and blood backed up by some classy French oak. There are also secondary notes of chocolate, black cherry and white pepper. Continually changes in the glass.
Palate: Very rich and full bodied, with concentrated blueberry, chocolate and vanillan oak flavours being tightly held together by fine, dry tannins and bright acidity. An iron fist in a velvet glove.
Summary: A big, rich wine that manages to avoid being jammy or clumsy - in no small way due to its regional origins. A wine which may take a decade or two to fully evolve.
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Alcohol 16.0%
TA 6.1 g/L
pH 3.53 |
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Reveiws
Robert Parker Review –
Reviewed by Dr Jay Miller
2007 Gaelic Cemetery Shiraz Clare Valley, South Australia.
Wine Advocate # 186 (Dec 2009) Rating: 90
The 2007 Shiraz was naturally fermented and aged in new French barriques for 18 months. A glass-staining opaque purple color, it exhibits an expressive nose of pain grille, spice box, lavender, sand blueberry. Ripe, sweet and structured (bordering on sinewy), it will require 2-3 years to reveal its full potential but may always be a bit austere. Importer: CLD Imports, Barrington, IL; tel. (847) 898-9500 |
2006 Gaelic
Cemetery Shiraz Clare Valley , South Australia.
The Wine Advocate # 181 (Feb 2009) 93/100 points Tasted August 2008
The 2006 Shiraz was sourced from the low yielding Gaelic Cemetery Vineyard in the Clare Valley . It was age in new French Oak and bottled without fining or filtration.
A saturated opaque purple in colour, it exhibits a brooding nose of pain grille, lavender, mineral, blueberry,and blackberry liqueur. This is followed by a dense, layered, succulent wine with terrific integration of oak, tannin and acidity. Give this lengthy effort 3-4 years of additional cellaring and drink it from 2013 to 2026.
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2005 Gaelic Cemetery Shiraz Clare Valley , South Australian
Rating: 98 pts Drink: 2017 - 2040
The 2005 ADW/Pikes “Gaelic Cemetery” Shiraz is a collaboration of the Barletta brothers and Andrew Pike of Pikes Wines in the Clare Valley. The vineyard is located near the source of Jim Barry's famous Armagh Shiraz. The yields for this first vintage of the Gaelic Cemetery Shiraz were from 0.25 to 0.50 tons per acre.
A glass-coating, saturated opaque purple color, it displays a sensational bouquet of scorched earth, truffle, espresso, mineral, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. Unctuously textured and rich, this already complex Shiraz should age effortlessly for 10-15 years and drink well through 2040. It is a legend in the making! Act quickly because only 25 cases are ticketed for the USA market. |
James Halliday 2010 Wine Companion
5 Star Winery Rating
Rating 94/100 Drink 2021 - Tasted Dec 2008
Strong blackberry, prune and licorice aromas and flavours with a spicy, fine tannin finish. Surprisingly manages to more or less co0nceal its alcohol.
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THE FIVE MINUTE WINE RUSH – Paul Ippolito. 27 November 2011
The Gaelic Cemetery Vineyard Clare Valley Shiraz 2008
Only 3000 bottles produced. This is a special super premium Shiraz from low yielding Clare Valley vines. This culminates from the fruits of labour in a joint venture between Pikes Wines and the Barletta Bros. The vineyard is owned by Grant Arnold and is named after Gaelic Cemetery Road. The parties have all worked together in a desire to make small volumes of super premium single vineyard single varietal Clare wines that reflect that vintage, varietal and region – my thanks to the PR people for this. Youthfully purple, inking staining the glass. Good alcohol, restrained power in the nose but serious berry fruit emerges and unwinds on its long journey. Think blackcurrants and blackberries, spicy plums and then liquorice. Quite assertive tannins, well pronounced French oak and robustness in structure, really shows off the staying power. It drinks fine now but it is still in its infancy but seriously this has long haul flight written all over it. In a year or two it will really being showing us its forward path to even more exotic places. Try it with something special. Say aged grilled Angus beef.
About $115. 14.5%. Drink to 2018 plus. 94/100 – Excellent. |
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| Australian
distributors |
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For all Australian distribution contact details please phone
Ben or Mario Barletta on (08) 8340 3870 or fax (08) 8346 3766. |
| Alternatively
please call Ben on 0402 114808
or Mario on 0419 819358. |
| Email
contact for Ben on ben@ausdomwines.com.au
and Mario on mario@ausdomwines.com.au |
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| International
distributors |
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Company |
Address |
Phone
and Fax |
Online |
| Germany
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Weinhandlung
Martin Apell |
Zentgrafenstrasse
152
34130 Kassel, Germany
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Ph
: 0011 49 561 3160 717
Fax : 0011 49 561 3160 718
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www.apell.de
mail@apell.de |
| USA
- Illinois |
CLD
Imports LLC |
1300 South
Grove Avenue
Suite 204
Barrington, Illinois
USA 60010
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Ph
: 847 898 9100
Fax : 847 898 9502
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www.cldimports.com
dwood@cldimports.com
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| Singapore |
Wine Directions Pty Ltd |
219 Tampines Street 24 Unit 12-44. Singapore 520219
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Tel: + 65 90611401 |
www.winedirections.com
Contact:Arjen Blom - arjen@winedirections.com |
| Taiwan |
Adelaide Pacific |
2nd Floor, No.156, Sec.1 Fusing S.Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan , R.O.C. |
Tel:+886-2-2777-5779 Fax:+886-2-2777-5226 |
www.finewine.com.tw
Contact: Shelly Wu - shelly@finewine.com.tw |
| Canada |
DB wines & Spirits/Frontier Wine Merchants |
Mississauga , Ontario , Canada |
Phone: 416 720 9463 |
Email: dan.barrett@rogers.com |
| Sweden |
Dala Winestudio AB
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Berghauptmansgatan 56
Falun 79161
Sweden |
Phone: +46 70 362 5701 |
Email: conny.tillman@gmail.com |
France |
Australian Rarities |
25 Rue de la Ganzau
Strasbourg 67100
France |
Phone: 0033 (0)6 84626 585 |
Email: ararities@orange.fr |
| China |
Craneford Negociants Ltd |
Shop 27/F Harbour Crystal Center - 100 Granville Rd Tsin Sha Tsei Kowloon |
Ph +852 2156 1066
F +852 2156 1001
HK Mob +852 909 67720
China Mobile +86 150 1894 5482
Aust Mobile +61 430 240 140
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Email: janice@cranfordnegnegociants.com
Website: www.cranfordnegnegociants.com |
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Site design and photography by Matt Walker
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