2014 Heartland Directors' Cut Shiraz, Langhorne Creek Limestone Coast Australia

Wine Access exclusive from cult Aussie winemaker! The 2014 Heartland Directors' Cut Shiraz Langhorne Creek Limestone Coast Australia is a juicy and dense Shiraz fresh off a staggering 97-point performance at the Decanter World Wine Awards, where it earned a Platinum medal by besting more than 16,750 entries. Heartland is owned and made by Ben Glaetzer, the Australian Shiraz master who has earned a cult following for Amon-Ra and his other drippingly dark fruited reds. Fans of serious Aussie Shiraz don’t hesitate to pay the often-formidable prices for the Barossa wines of Wine Advocate’s “star winemaker,” and the wise ones will jump at the chance to nab 97-point quality and richness for an unheard-of $39.99. Don’t delay. Shipping included on 4 bottles.

Ben Glaetzer’s mastery of Shiraz runs in his blood. His German ancestors settled in Barossa Valley in South Australia in the late 19th century, and went on to become some of the earliest recorded viticulturists in the area. Ben inherited the winemaking business from his father in the early 2000s and has since gone from strength to strength, racking up 14 reviews that achieved 95-99 point scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

Glaetzer’s immediate family is not alone in its prowess with the grape, and Ben’s uncle, John Glaetzer, figures prominently in Ben’s successful expansion to the Langhorne Creek region of the Limestone Coast: John has been a winemaker in the region for more than forty years, and his knowledge of the terroir, and the growers who best express it, is unparalleled. Guided by that expertise, Heartland is privy to some of the finest fruit on the Limestone Coast, which is named for the ancient seabeds that lie beneath the vineyards’ red soils.

The 100% Shiraz in Director’s Cut is chosen for intensity and texture, night-harvested from 40+ year-old vines, then fermented in open-top stainless containers. After a cool nine-day fermentation with three daily pump-overs coaxes deep color out of the skins, the wine spends 14 months in French and American oak hogshead barrels. The result is a wine of formidable power, tastefully deployed oak, and the spice that distinguishes the Langhorne Creek region. This is truly the best of the Australia’s Limestone Coast, brought to bottle by one of Australia’s most renowned winemakers. Don’t miss it.