2005 Arakoon Sellicks Beach Shiraz
Arakoon's Sellicks Beach hits all the pleasure buttons for fine McLaren Vale Shiraz. Aromatically giving of perfumed, spicy plum and a headier touch of bourbon-barrel, the fleshy fruit follows with a broad array of blackberry and black cherry flavours. The texture is almost creamy, while the fruit intensity not unlike that of a bright sorbet. A fine balance of both American and French oak lends a smoky depth and additional lick of spice to this utterly enjoyable wine.
2004 Arakoon Sellicks Beach Shiraz
Drift down the coast, slip your feet into the sand and crack into this vibrant wine grown under the moderating climate of the Southern Ocean. Opening immediately with ripe raspberry and blackberry fruit, give this wine a bit of time in the glass to show its subtle expression of chocolate, plum and spice. The whole lip-smacking envelope is pushed forward with a bright acidity making the wine very food-friendly and suggesting a happy future for those willing to lay down a few bottles. But with gorgeous drinkability like this, why wait?
2005 Arakoon Lighthouse Cabernet Sauvignon
A full throttle effusion of spicy tobacco-leaf and decadently rich black fruit elbows alongside the classic flavours of cassis in this unctuous cabernet. Black tea tannins carry across the big-boned structure which is fully supported with a core of black cherry and edged with hints of dark chocolate. A brash, yet supple style that is not for the faint-hearted and not to be missed!
2004 Arakoon Lighthouse Cabernet Sauvignon
In McLaren Vale the Cab's have it! While consumers are increasingly looking for wines that are ready to drink, the Coonawarra cabernets are often too massive, tannic and tight to approach upon their release. Not so with this smooth operator. Arakoon's Lighthouse cab offers an upfront nose of cassis and complex red/black fruits backed by hints of a cinnamon-toasty barrel. Ready for immediate drinking, the supple body heaps on classic red-currant and rich black-to-blue berry fruits for a most enjoyable drop. A bright light, a beacon, this cab does beckon.
2004 Arakoon Full Bodied Red Grenache Shiraz Mataro
This is where the gorgeous, juicy Grenache of McLaren Vale has made a name for itself. In the company of some serious, spicy Shiraz and an incredible meaty Mouvedre (Mataro), the whole package is complete. Unabashed Strawberry, bing cherry and an undercurrent of lively chocolate & spice make this full bodied red dance a lovely tune. For the uninhibited lovers of sheer wine drinking pleasure.
2004 Arakoon Gap Beach Shiraz
For those that relish the layered and the lush, this Fleurieu shiraz epitomizes what the cool. coastal region does best: Big, Bold and Balanced! The deep fruit component of this wine simply can't be contained, gushing forth with rich, expressive dark berries and plums. This is a textured, whopper of a wine for those that like to take it one step beyond!
2004 Arakoon The Doyen Willunga Shiraz
The rich soils of Willunga show a generosity that seems to elude the more common parcels around the McLaren Vale, and it is for this reason that the miniscule 200 case production of Doyen Shiraz continues to stand out as one of the rare, super-premium wines of the region. The 2004 represents a bit of departure from the enormous offerings of previous vintages that have maximized alcoholic girth in lieu of potential agebility. This very fine rendition comes back to Earth with a focused 14.5% of pure drinking pleasure. Soft layers of lifted red fruits surround a concentrated core of choco-cherries and rich plum. The texture of this wine is supple, while the underlying youthful tannins are evidence of a fine structure that will reward many years of patient cellaring. A powerful and compelling wine that James Halliday has recognised as one of best in the region.
2005 Arakoon Clarendon Shiraz
The Clarendon Shiraz, produced in its miniscule quantities, represents best the exceptional results of small lot production. This sexy, spicy wine oozes a Gucci-like sophistication with a surprising amount of bright, red fruit rising up from a wash of plum and bramble-blackberry flavours. Drop a pebble in a pond and see the circles lap outward, increasing in scope and dimension. So to, the complexity of this wine will open up to continued layers of intensity and pockets of flavour. This is a standout wine, not to be missed.
2004 Arakoon Clarendon Shiraz
Rare as hen's teeth and fine as coal dust, this singular wine was babied from the vineyard to the bottle in its tiny 100 case production. Redolent of cassis, classy French oak and Christmas cake, this luxuriant wine has a delicious core of juicy red fruit and brambly blackberry packing a decadent punch. For those special moments when you need to impress the most jaded wine junkie, you will find none better.
2004 Arakoon Blewitt Springs Shiraz
The rapture of liquorice and sweet violets intermingle and exude from the glass of this gorgeous, brooding monster – this dark and seductive beast of a wine. Such is the nature of the grapes picked from those sandy soils of Blewitt Springs; Port rich, dense and deep fruit component, part perfumed, delicate and full of sultry grace. Such dichotomy makes wines like this rare treasures indeed.
2006 Arakoon McLaren Vale Chardonnay
Dripping with tropical tones of pineapple, guava and lime blossom, this seldom seen white from the Arakoon stable is right on line. Lending itself towards the fresh and vibrant early-drinking style that the McLaren Vale does so well, this chardonnay is still backed with sophistication that smacks of its cool-climate upbringing, home by the sea.
