Winery: Baileys of Glenrowan
Region: Glenrowan, VIC
Variety: Shiraz
Vintage: 2009
Your Wine Guy says:
For the past few years Paul Dahlenburg at Baileys has been maturing the Bailey’s 1920s Block Shiraz partly in French oak which has really seemed to lift the character of the wine to new heights.
The 2009 is a great example of regional shiraz, full of dark fruit flavours with some liquorice blackberry notes. The oak is very well balanced at this stage, and will continue to integrate in the coming years, providing some attractive cedar hints with tasty coconut characters too. A great example of the Glenrowan region and a much more elegant wine than its cousins at Rutherglen – a little like the difference between the Barossa and Eden Valleys, one has rich powerful fruit flavours while the other takes an approach with more finesse.
95 Points YWG Drink to 2025
Critics say:
“Dry-grown 90-year-old vines produce small, intensely flavoured berries, open-fermented, spending seven days on skins before being basket-pressed. Matured in 100% French oak, some new, or second use. The bouquet has more savoury nuances, the palate medium-bodied rather than full-bodied, the texture, structure, line and length all impeccable. Still youthful, but its balance guarantees a long life ahead, the price a bargain.”
94 Points Drink to 2030 James Halliday Wine Companion 2011
Winery Information:
Baileys of Glenrowan is a quality winery, steeped in history, specialising in fine red wines and luscious fortified wines like Muscat and Topaque (nee Tokay, see below). Established in 1870, Baileys has taken the best of the old vineyard winemaking techniques and combined these with modern winemaking skills to produce outstanding wines.
Baileys is a medium sized winery of 143 hectares under vine, all the grapes for the wines are grown in the vineyard and the winemaking is completed on site. Many traditional winemaking techniques are used at Baileys, including the restored 100 year-old Basket Press. The ‘hands–on’ effort required for the grape growing and winemaking is testament to the passion of the Baileys team.
James Halliday writes: “Just when it seemed that Baileys would remain one of the forgotten outposts of the Foster’s group, the reverse has occurred. Since 1998, Paul Dahlenburg has been in charge of Baileys and has overseen an expansion in the vineyard and the construction of a 2000-tonne winery. The cellar door has a heritage museum, winery-viewing deck, contemporary art gallery and landscaped grounds, preserving much of the heritage value. Baileys has also picked up the pace with its Muscat and Tokay, reintroducing the Winemaker’s Selection at the top of the tree, while continuing the larger-volume Founder series.”
Baileys of Glenrowan have long been specialist port and fortified producers (est. 1870) and with such a well established history and obvious understanding of the style. It was this knowledge and experience that brought Wine Australia knocking to consult with Paul Dahlenburg from Baileys (among others) when a trade agreement with the EU was to be reached that will phase out the use of the terms ‘Port’ and ‘Tokay’ from Australian wine labels as they are now protected designation of origin trademarks specific to the countries of Portugal (exclusive to the Douro Valley in the north) and Hungary (exclusive to Tokaji east of Budapest) respectively.
I asked Baileys of Glenrowan winemaker Paul Dahlenburg about the change of names from Tokay to Topaque and here is what he said:
“In 2007 an agreement between the EU and Australia was signed which meant for Australia to maintain access to the EU markets we must stop using terms such as Port and Tokay.
A major research project was launched to identify replacement names.
This new name needed to have no previous trademark and, importantly, it had to fit the wine style and consumer expectation.
Topaque was chosen and Baileys has now relabelled its Tokay to Topaque knowing that when the agreement was signed a 10 year phase out was granted.
We feel it's important we get behind the new name immediately and start promoting what is a beautiful wine now known as Topaque.”
Incidentally, Australia will now use the term ‘Tawny’ on labels in place of ‘Port’ such as ‘Fine Old Tawny’.
Baileys of Glenrowan wines available from Your Wine Guy:
1904 Block Shiraz 2005 96 YWG 92 JH
1920’s Block Shiraz 2009 95 YWG 94 JH
Rutherglen Durif 2009 93 YWG
Rutherglen Petite Sirah 2009 93 YWG
Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 93 YWG
Shiraz 2009 92 YWG 91 JH
Founders Topaque 94 YWG 94 JH
Founders Muscat 94 YWG 93 JH
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