When it comes to Australian wine, Jacob’s Creek is amongst the ubiquitous names. Many of the wines in their “Classic” and “Reserve” tiers are widely available on US shelves. A bit harder to locate, are the “Heritage” line of wines. Today I’m going to look at one of the wines in that range.
The Jacob’s Creek 2001 Johann Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon was produced using fruit sourced from a number of vineyard blocks. The varietal breakdown is 64% Shiraz and 36% Cabernet Sauvignon. The parcels were fermented and aged in oak separately. After 18 months In barrel the blend was created using the components they felt would best show off both the Shiraz and the Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is named after Johann Gramp, a Bavarian immigrant who planted the first commercial vineyard in the Barossa Valley. This wine most often sells for about $70.
Plum, blueberry and blackberry aromas fill the nose of this 2001 Australian blend. The palate of this wine is full flavored, layered and complex. Wave after wave of delicious dark berry fruit flavors are in evidence. That said this wine manages to retain balance and never go over the top. Vanilla, sour berry, white pepper and plum pudding spices emerge at mid-palate and continue through the impressive finish which also features copious mineral and white pepper notes. This wine has firm but yielding tannins and good acidity.
What I like best about this selection is the length of the finish coupled with the overall restraint the wine shows. While this offering, the benchmark wine of Jacob’s Creek, is full flavored it’s also impeccably balanced and structured. At nine years old now it still shows plenty of life. I expect this offering to drink well for the next 5-8 years. And while this will be a little harder to locate than their general release wines, the effort will be rewarded