Tasting Notes

At a recent tasting of dozens of contenders for a slot in the Wine Club lineup, Maureen flatly demanded, "This wine's a must!" So here it is! Rufus Stone, made by Tyrell's, has a deep plum-colored core and a beautiful ruby rim-a gorgeous color variation. Its bouquet releases scents of sweet cloves and tobacco, dark berry and white pepper-just as Shiraz should. Drink now through 2009.

Winery Story

Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz was named after King William II (also known as“Rufus” because of his ruddy complexion). It is believed that Rufus was mistakenly killed by an errant arrow fired by Sir Walter Tyrrell, an ancestor of the present day Tyrrell family. Today, the Rufus Stone in Hampshire, England, marks the site of this infamous incident.

Fast-forward about a thousand years to Australia, where Tyrrell’s planted their Heathcote vineyard in 1994 on the ancient russet red soil. Approximately 100 kilometers north of Melbourne, Heathcote is undoubtedly one of Australia’s most exciting new higher-altitude red-wine producing regions. This narrow strip has a unique topography that gives area wines the rich yet refined flavors that typifies Heathcote bottlings, especially Shiraz. The vines are relatively low yielding and produce fully ripened grapes that nevertheless retain excellent levels of natural acidity and fine-grained
tannins.