Sixty Second Swirl by Brent Lello
Yass Valley Wine Columnist
Not all wines are built for the long haul, continuing to offer the drinker a journey of enjoyment over the duration of years in the bottle. But some wines are, and we have some great producers in the Yass Valley region who excel at delivering drops that dodge the injustices of time. One such producer is Dog Trap Vineyard.
Dennis and Julian produce wines of elegance and poise well into their years in the bottle. A great example is the subject of this week’s “swirl” – the Dog Trap Vineyard “Tony” Shiraz 2009.
This Shiraz is a deep, inky dark red colour in the glass. A swirl induces aromas of blackberries, macerated black cherries, and pepper and clove spiced plums with a lift of roasted red capsicum in the background. The palate is full and luscious with ripe, sweet black fruit flavours, a lovely lick of liquorice, and wonderfully balanced tannins, leading to a lingering, luscious finish.
Our bottle went superbly with slow-roasted lamb shanks with red wine gravy, minted peas and Paris mash (pictured) but would also go well with chargrilled lamb cutlets or a Moroccan-inspired lamb mince pizza.
I was gifted my bottle for my birthday from a true gentleman named Tony, and the winemaker has “officially” sold out; however, Dennis has opened up his private stock for a one-off extremely-limited release of a dozen bottles. One bottle per customer @$110, exclusive to Yass Valley Times readers who bring in a copy of this review. Visit 262 Dog Trap Road Yass PH (02) 6226 5898
