Deep in colour, the wine is almost black yet is also youthful, vibrant and bright. The nose is perfumed with spice, red berries and liquorice; a pretty fragrant wine that dances on your palette. With emery paper, waxy, walnut tannins the finish is elegant withsavoury spice and a fine tannin length and persistence. The Shiraz is co-fermented with Viognier skins to enhance aromatic variety. Viognier holds a phenolic (tannic) character that enables increased stabilisation of colour in the wine – hence the bottomless pit like blackness of colour, plus the savoury tannins which enable the wine with such an elegant flourish. A UK buyer once described a Shiraz Viognier blend thus:
‘smells like a lady’s handbag,tastes like a man’s wallet.Exactly what Ben was aiming for, and a more apt description of this style
is hard to find! The Mr.Riggs 2012 Piebald Syrah will cellar well, but hope it’s alluring is too strong for that.