2006 Hundred Acre Ancient Way Shiraz

Hundred Acre is owned by Jayson Woodbridge, a winemaker who has been defying conventional wisdom about winemaking for years. He started Hundred Acre winery in St. Helena, California, and the Hundred Acre winery in the Barossa Valley, Australia. He makes single-vineyard, highly limited wines in both places. In California Hundred Acre is a Cabernet Sauvignon released only to the winery’s s mailing list. Hundred Acre’s first California vintage in 2000 earned praise from reviewers, and more recent vintages have earned very high scores from Robert M. Parker Jr., among others. Hundred Acre’s signature wine from California is the Kayli Morgan Vineyard Cab. The signature AU wine is the single vineyard Ancient Way Shiraz. Woodbridge is also the entrepreneur behind the Cherry Pie and Layer Cake wine labels. Cherry Pie is a Pinot Noir from Carneros and Layer Cake is a value-priced portfolio of varietals.

South Australia is the nation’s most important wine region. South Australia is to Australia what California is to the U.S. About half of Australia’s wine comes from South Australia and many of the country’s most acclaimed producers are there. Wineries based in South Australia include Penfolds Grange, Torbreck, Amon Ra, Henschke and Jacob’s Creek. The prestigious Barossa Valley is located in South Australia, and is often compared to Napa Valley because it is gorgeous topography covered in grape vines. First farmed by 19th century German-speakers who immigrated from what is now Poland, the Barossa Valley is the crown jewel of the region. South Australia has widely varying climates, from very hot, dry areas to cooler, high altitude areas. There are more than 150,000 acres of vineyards in South Australia, with more being planted each month. Shiraz is king, though the region also produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Mourvedre, Chardonnay and Semillon.

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.