Nine Stones Hilltops Shiraz Australia 2008 - Bright youthful purples and dark red. Exciting and full of exotic chocolate, minty, black cherry characters, with some white pepper overlaid with subtle oak character. Very sweet fruit with fine grained tannins persistent, which is a hallmark of this vineyard; excellent fleshy middle palate and a long supple and satisfying finish.
The marvelous 2008 vintage was preceded by the cool, dry weather which has persisted for several years. Although the drought of recent years persisted, flowering was abundant and in turn a good crop was set. It was dry and cool all the way through to harvest, which was some three weeks earlier than usual, with a burst of extreme heat just before harvest producing some unwanted excitement and frantic activity. All varieties were harvested in perfect condition and this is a one in twenty year outstanding vintage for the region.