Saltram ‘The Eighth Maker’ 2002 Shiraz [Barossa Valley]
Monday, May 25th, 2009
Average Wintery Night, above average red.
The Eighth Makers is Saltram’s flagship red. Saltram is in the Barossa and Barossa makes exceptional Shiraz. So really this is a cut of the best of the best and retailing at $200 a pop, not a drop to take lightly.
Inspired by Saltram’s eighth winemaker Nigel Dolan, it’s an impressive array of dense jammy fruit, bitter chocolate (but only little bits of it) and a smokey leather. Perhaps I waited too long for this wine to be enjoyed. I’m not a huge fan of cracked leather more than I am of anything too smokey. As this wine exhibits both characters in fair quantity – though not something bad, it’s just not my total cup of tea.
OK. It has remarkable length, and intensity. It also has berries and leather. The berries I’m sad to report are somewhat short lived (I noticed this when decanted this wine). But it’s lacking something. Not to mention the alcohol comes off on this as something disjointed and not streamlined with the rest of the tasting package. It’s an enigma for the price. But overall, it’s a wine that is a pleasure to drink.
