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: 2010 Chapoutier-Laughton (La Pleiade) "Cluster M45" Shiraz Heathcote Victoria

2010 Chapoutier-Laughton (La Pleiade) "Cluster M45" Shiraz Heathcote Victoria

SKU #1146496 97 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Outer quote mark Deep garnet-purple, the 2010 Cluster M45 Shiraz has lovely floral and herbal notes wafting over a solid core of youthful blackberries and black cherries with nuances of Chinese five spice and cloves. Great intensity and balance in a rather modest medium-full body with great graininess to the tannins and plenty of freshness. It finishes long. Note that no 2011 Cluster M45 was produced. (LPB) Inner quote mark (2/2015)

95 points James Halliday

Outer quote mark Medium red-purple; while I remain to be convinced the baume (and hence alcohol) level was necessary, it is fair to say that the wine carries it without undue protest; there is a complex array of spicy red and black fruits in a web of fine but persistent tannins, plus French oak on a palate notable more for its length than its weight. Inner quote mark (2/2013)

92 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Outer quote mark Inky purple. A heady bouquet displays scents of candied dark berries, cherry-vanilla and incense, along with a smoky topnote. Lush and creamy in texture, offering palate-staining blackberry and cherry compote flavors and a hint of olive. Soft tannins build on the clinging finish, which leaves notes of blue fruits and licorice behind. Inner quote mark (7/2013)

92 points Wine Enthusiast

Outer quote mark This joint venture between the Laughton (Jasper Hill) and Chapoutier families continues to impress. The 2010 is firmly built, with raspberry and boysenberry fruit notes supported by hints of mint and chocolate. The finish is long and dusty, tinged with mocha. It’s approachable now, but should age well through 2020, at least. Inner quote mark (10/2014)

K&L Notes

Michel Chapoutier and Ron Laughton planted new vineyards on the Cambrian soils of Heathcote in Central Victoria in 1998. The idea was, to take original Syrah cuttings from the hillside of Tain l'Hermitage in the Northern Rhone, from vines that had actually survived the phylloxera epidemic in the early 1900s. Quarantined in Australia and then propagated without the use of rootstock, the vines were planted alongside Australian Shiraz vines to produce a "best of both worlds" blend from a vineyard named La Pleiade (Play-ahd) after the star cluster visible from Australia and France--the idea thus highlighted, to celebrate a global partnership in wine. Only the best fruit from this unique vineyard is chosen for the tiny 500 cases made of this brilliant cuvee. The vineyard is farmed Biodynamically.

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2010 Chapoutier-Laughton (La Pleiade) "Cluster M45" Shiraz Heathcote Victoria

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By: Thomas Smith | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/7/2017 | Send Email

As a Rhone liaison for K&L Redwood City, I don't often find myself wandering over to the Australian Shiraz section all too often. This one is a BIG exception. It puts forth absolutely incredible aromas--spice, gaminess, dark fruits. The acid is Dialed in perfectly. Yes, there is some heat there, but slightly spicy, very savory, and just the tiniest juicy aspect to it. This tastes like some of the older domestic Syrahs I've tasted from the early 2000's. I was just totally floored by this. The '10 Chapoutier-Laughton is easily the best Australian Shiraz I've had this year, and totally worth grabbing a few bottles.

By: Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 3/16/2015 | Send Email

An incredible story and a beautiful wine. It's seems cliched to say (given the concept of this wine) but this seems to strike the perfect balance between "Old World and New" just like the vine material from whence it came. There is power and richness here with plush dark fruit, tar, sweet floral notes...but there is also a nice underlying savory quality. Stony earth, meat, pepper and subtle leather. I still think this wine has more to give as it develops into its adolescence but the hallmarks of great Syrah/Shiraz are already in place.

Drink from 2015 to 2025

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Shiraz/Syrah

- One of France's noblest black grape varieties, Syrah is known for its intense and distinctive perfume reminiscent of briar fruit, tar, spice and black pepper and its firm structure. One of few black grape varietals frequently vinified on its own, the best examples of Syrah come from the Northern Rhône, particularly Hermitage, but also Côte-Rôtie, Cornas, Crozes-Hermitage and St-Joseph. These wines are very astringent in their youth, though some Crozes-Hermitage and St-Joseph can be enjoyed young, relatively speaking. Given the requisite patience, though, these wines can reveal amazing complexity and secondary fruit characteristics like plum and blackcurrant as well as subtle hints of smoke and flowers. In the Southern Rhône, Syrah is used to add structure and complexity to wines dominated by Grenache and complemented by Mourvèdre, like the more immediately drinkable Côte du Rhônes, as well as the long-lived wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In recent years, plantings of Syrah have spread throughout the Languedoc-Roussillon where it is produced on its own or blended with other varietals. Outside of France, the most important Syrah growing country is easily Australia, where it is called Shiraz. Quality levels here depend greatly on yields and geography, and the wines range from bold, fruity and easy-drinking to intense and ageable, like the famed Penfolds Grange. Often bottled on its own, in Australia Syrah is also can be blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre, as in the Southern Rhône, and is increasingly combined with Cabernet Sauvignon. Syrah has also been steadily increasing in popularity in California, thanks to a group of advocates called the Rhône Rangers. Its most successful iterations come from the Central and Sonoma Coasts, where winemakers are pushing boundaries and creating some incredible wines. In recent years Syrah has also found a number of proponents in Washington State, which is definitely a region to watch for this variety.

Country:

Australia

- While it is true that the greatest strides in Australian winemaking have come in the last 30 years or so, commercial viticulture began as early as the 1820s and has developed uninterrupted ever since. The majority of the great wine regions are in the southeastern area of the continent, including Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, and Coonawarra in South Australia; Yarra Yarra Valley and Pyrenees in Victoria; and the Upper and Lower Hunter Valleys in New South Wales. Many of the wines from Southeastern Australia are based on Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon and various blends including Grenache and Mourvedre. In Western Australia, along the Margaret River, great strides are being made with Pinot Noir as well as Bordeaux-styled reds. There are also many world-class releases of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from the land Down Under, where Riesling also enjoys international acclaim. While many equate Aussie wines with “value,” there are more than a few extremely rare and pricey options, which never fail to earn the highest ratings from wine publications and critics throughout the world.

Sub-Region:

Victoria

Alcohol Content (%):

14.5

Organic: