2011 BK WINES 'CULT' SYRAH - WILD HEARTED SON

Much has been said and written of the 2011 vintage in southern Australia, ‘wet’ and ‘cold’ being the two common themes. It certainly was a challenging vintage in many regions, one that demanded considerable vigilance on behalf of vignerons. In some instances, it may well have been just too wet and cool to harvest fruit of sufficient quality. However, in some instances, particularly in warmer regions such as the Barossa Valley and Heathcote, the atypically cool and damp conditions seems to have resulted in wines with prettier aromatics and greater elegance than may be the case in warmer years. Dare one say, some wines have quite a European edge. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, as the conditions grape growers faced in 2011 weren’t that abnormal for those in Europe’s milder wine regions.

Clearly 2011 shouldn’t be written off. There are many excellent wines, white and red, from this derided vintage. While they mightn’t make old bones, many will deliver considerable pleasure in the short to medium term. This brings us on to the 2011 Syrah from Adelaide Hills producer BK Wines. It displays some of the better traits of the 2011 vintage, attractive perfumed aromatics and a savoury palate with a nice line of acidity. However, there is a green edge running through both the bouquet and palate that detracts. One wonders if the fruit used here was uniformly ripe, particularly given that it was sourced from a relatively cool part of the Adelaide Hills. In sum, there’s plenty to like here, but ultimately the greenness is just a touch overbearing, which is a bit of a pity.

2011 'CULT' SYRAH
Producer: BK Wines
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2011
Region: Adelaide Hills
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $35.00
Date tasted: 9 March 2013

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby red. Interesting nose of licorice, star anise, black pepper, floral notes, touch of green pepper/resin. Dry, savoury, medium bodied, quite European in feel. Red fruits to the fore, though the overall impression is savoury. There is a slight green edge to the wine suggesting that the fruit wasn’t uniformly ripe. An ‘almost but no cigar’ wine; on the upside, there is good aromatic complexity and the wine has a lovely savoury quality, but there is a distinct and off-putting green edge.
Score: 15/20