2009 Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz L-Block Pyrenees 750 ml

100-point Michel Chapoutier Tries His Hand Down Under

The best Shiraz produced Down Under have been either Penfolds Grange, Torbreck, or Greenock Creek. These South Australia heavyweights have all garnered 100-point ratings from The Wine Advocate. But in the last decade, Parker has turned a laser-focused eye on Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier and the renowned, dry-farmed Malakoff Vineyard in the Australian Pyrenees.

Parker has followed Michel Chapoutier since his early winemaking days, admiring him for breaking with family traditions and doing his own thing. We’ve certainly been paying attention that long. So when Wine Spectator finally got around to putting Chapoutier on its November 2012 cover, Parker crowed, “The article said essentially the same things I had written about over twenty years ago.”

Chapoutier is a visionary. From his dedication to biodynamic farming to putting braille on his labels. His L-Block shiraz has consistently earned high Wine Advocate scores (the 2010 raking in 95-97+ points, and the 2011 splitting the difference at 96 points).

Chapoutier’s strength lies in taming single-vineyard Syrah selections from sites in appellations like Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape into wines with power, elegance and total finesse. He’s managed to do the same thing in Australia — where Shiraz can spiral out of control in the wrong hands, becoming dense, chewy, inky-black, overblown, and out of balance. Not under Chapoutier’s watch.

Malakoff Vineyard stretches out over 46 acres in Western Central Victoria that was still undeveloped at the turn of the century. But Chapoutier saw promise in the rolling hills, which he noted were constantly basking in ample sunshine. Terlato, who has been trusting Chapoutier’s instincts since the 1980s, asked no questions.

The Shiraz grapes from this site experience the full ripening power of the bright Southern Hemisphere sun, while continual cool breezes mitigate temperatures in the vineyard, resulting in rich and distinctive Shiraz with excellent acidity. Chapoutier has identified a single “L-Block” on a southern portion of the biodynamically grown property as a “sélection parcellaire” because it survived a decade-long drought without irrigation. In short: the Chapoutier stamp of approval.

The 2009 Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier L-Block Shiraz is full-bodied and expressive with complex flavors and aromas of blackberry, black cherry and rich layers of dark chocolate notes. The fruit profile erupts on the palate with bright flavors, kept in check by a rich thread of minerality and a generous, spicy finish.

$65 on release. Just 480 bottles from the dream team of wine personalities at $34.99/bottle — shipping included on 4.