Traditional dark fruits combine with a complex herbal element with notes of mint and jasmine. Violets are also evident lifting the overall aromatic intensity, highlighting secondary characters such as cigar box, choc mint, leather, graphite and a faint red candy lift. Chocolate pudding and red fruits fill the front and middle of the palate leading to a spice driven back palate.
Reviews:
- James Halliday: An exotic bouquet with new shoe leather and a sprinkle of sultry spices, the full-bodied palate with supple blackberry fruits to the fore and an underlay of integrated French oak. There is a finesse to the overall texture, structure and flavour that is remarkable.
Producer Information
Hentley Farm is a South Australian wine estate situated in the Barossa Valley. Founders Keith and Alison Hentschke purchased the 61 hectare (150 acre) vineyard in the 1990s and released their first Hentley Farm wines in 2002. The estate specializes in producing high-quality, single-block wines made predominantly from red wine grape varieties, particularly Shiraz. This original plot was extended in 2004 with the acquisition of the Clos Otto block and today, the Clos Otto Shiraz is the flagship of the Hentley Farm wine portfolio. It spends 22 months barrel-aging in French oak, approximately 50-percent of which are new. Hentley Farm’s vineyards are planted to 70 percent Shiraz, and 17 percent Grenache as well a small portions of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier. These vines are situated on clay soils that have substantial water retention properties, which is crucial for their survival during lengthy periods of low rainfall. Hentley Farm also sources Riesling grapes from two small vineyard blocks in the Eden Valley. These are used to make both a varietal Riesling wine, and the Poppy white-blend of Chardonnay, White Frontignac, Viognier and Pinot Gris.
