St Anne’s Winery Tatalia Private Reserve 2016 Shiraz Cabernet

I do love getting the decanter out. Do you decant many wines?

Decanting wine serves two main purposes, firstly to aerate the wine (to help the aromas and flavours become more prominent) and secondly to seperate out any sediment in the wine. You’ll notice sediment in aged red wines and also in some vintage ports.

Knowing when and which wines to decant isn’t a perfect science. Typically if I am cracking into a big red wine I will taste the wine and then pop it in the decanter to see how it evolves with a bit of air. Though you do have to be cautious for older and fragile wines, as too much air can cause them to deteriorate fast – I learnt this with a bottle of Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay 1978 when I was living and working in Dubai.

I thought this sample I received from St Anne’s Winery (thank you!) would be a great bottle to put in the decanter. This Tatalia Private Reserve 2016 Shiraz Cabernet hails from Victoria’s Heathcote wine region. It’s 60% Shiraz and 40% Cabernet and weighs in at 15% abv.

I also found it interesting on the tasting notes that it’s bottled under ‘VINC+ corks’ which are TCA free and have a low oxidation rate. It should age up to 10 years if kept in good conditions and retails for $36.

However being the impatient drinker that I am, this bottle was cracked only recently. Here are my notes:

On the eye it’s a velvety dark purple-red shade. On the nose I pick up notes of spicy blackberries, blackcurrants and a whiff of liquorice. In the mouth, especially after some air it has lovely fruit and smoothness to it. Think black fruits with a juicy tannin finish and a sprinkling of baking spice. This one is destined for a meaty winter dish.

This wine was sent to me direct from the winery as a sample, I was under no obligation to post about it.

All opinions are based on my own taste buds. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy!