No Products in the Cart
Chris Ringland is one of the foremost winemakers in Australia. He produces Shiraz-based wines from both his own Barossa vineyard and from those managed by the North Barossa Vintners company; both bear his name. The flagship wine is the Chris Ringland Dry Grown Barossa Ranges Shiraz, which is one of the most highly priced wines made in Australia, and is produced in tiny quantities.
It is known for its rich texture and weight. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the wine received 100-point ratings from the then highly influential US wine critic Robert Parker on five occasions.
Since 1995 the wine has come from the unirrigated Stone Chimney Creek Vineyard, a 2 hectare (5 acre) block of very old vines in the Barossa Ranges. It is typically fermented in new French oak open top vats and aged in new French oak hogsheads (300 liters) for 48 months.
It is then matured in bottle for several more years before release. The Dry Grown Barossa Ranges Shiraz has been known to reach as much as 17 percent alcohol. A second wine from the property, Randall's Hill, is made from parcels deemed less ageworthy, and is only released in certain years. Just a handful of barrels of each wine are made.
| Varietal | Syrah |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 1993 |
| Rating | 99 RP |
| Bottle Size | 1500 ml |
| Bottle Quantity | 1 |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | South Australia |
| Location | Barossa Valley |
| Producer | Three Rivers (Chris Ringland) |
| Color | Red |
| Wine Type | Table |
| Rating | 99 RP - I kept wondering if the only reason I was not giving this wine a perfect score was because there were only 50 cases produced. Made from yields of under one ton of fruit per acre, from 100+-year old vines, my first impression on tasting this Shiraz was, "My God, this smells like a pristine example of 1947 Cheval Blanc." It possesses a similar unctuosity, thickness, over ripeness, and dry vintage port-like character. Moreover, I could not believe how complex the wine's aromatics were for its age. In addition to the tell-tale bacon fat, there were aromas of toast, smoke, cassis, cedar, and blackberry jam. Viscous, full-bodied, extremely thick and heavy (no finesse to be found in this monster), this wine represents the maximum, or some would say the extreme expression of its terroir and varietal composition. Yet the wine is focused, and not heavy to drink. After keeping the wine open four days without any trace of oxidation, but rather, further development and evolution, I decided there was no further reason to delay its destiny, and drank it up. The wine achieved 15% alcohol naturally, and spent 3 years in 100% new French oak. While it is lamentable that only 50 cases were produced, I feel readers should know about wines such as this. Moreover, they stand as a beacon for other winemakers who want to achieve something as special as what winemaker Chris Ringland has accomplished. This wine should evolve and continue to drink well for at least 15-20 years. |
|---|
| Wine Spectator |
|---|
| Burghound |
|---|
| Varietal | Syrah |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 1993 |
| Rating | 99 RP |
| Bottle Size | 1500 ml |
| Bottle Quantity | 1 |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | South Australia |
| Location | Barossa Valley |
| Producer | Three Rivers (Chris Ringland) |
| Color | Red |
| Wine Type | Table |
| Varietal | |
|---|---|
| Vintage | |
| Rating | |
| Bottle Size | |
| Bottle Quantity | |
| Country | |
| Region | |
| Location | |
| Producer | |
| Color | |
| Wine Type |
| Varietal | |
|---|---|
| Vintage | |
| Rating | |
| Barrels |
|
| Style |
|
| Owners |
|
| Region | |
| Location | |
| Producer | |
| Winemaker |
|
| Production |
| Robert Parker Rating |
|---|
| Antonio Galloni Rating |
|---|
| Wine Spectator Rating |
|---|
| Burghound Rating |
|---|
