2014 Tait Wines The Border Crossing Old Vines Shiraz McLaren Vale 750 ml

The Gang of Five Down Under and the Awakening

Winemaker Bruno Tait could have just played it safe. He’s used to raking in the critical praise for his Shiraz, which Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate says compete with “the very best” of Australia’s blockbusters at “a fraction of the cost.” Twelve straight vintages of his Shiraz-dominant red blend named “The Ball Buster” have racked up 12 straight 90+ point Wine Advocate scores. But not content to continue refining his Barossa Valley expertise, Bruno charged into the windswept vineyards of McLaren Vale, cooled by a constant stream of sea breezes.

We consider Tait one of Australia’s “Gang of Five” — along with John Duval (Duval Wines), Peter Gago (Penfolds), Gary Mills (Jamsheed), and Torbreck's Nigel Blieschke — who are responsible for leading the charge in modern Australian winemaking. If you weren’t yet aware of the resurgence Down Under, then Wine Spectator’s March cover story, “Australia’s Awakening,” probably fixed that. “There’s a fresh energy in Australian wine,” the Spectator states. “Today, winemakers are highlighting regionality, diversity, balance and elegance over extreme value or brute strength.”

Making all of that incredible variety and nuance possible is Australia’s remarkable collection of old vines. Winemakers don’t seek out these ancient, gnarled vines with deep roots spidering through the substrata because they fancy antiques or hold on to some romantic nostalgia for days gone by. The older a vine becomes, the less fruit it bears — a kind of self-inflicted Darwinian selection that whittles a vine’s bunches down to a handful of BB-sized berries that yield complex and intensely concentrated juice.

This same pursuit of ancient vines brought Bruno Tait to the McLaren Vale. “I love the big, lush texture of my Barossa wines,” he told us. “But I’d heard so much about the Shiraz in McLaren Vale that I thought I’d go check it out.” We’d followed Tait’s “Ball Buster” for years; it’s the only under-$20 wine to receive 90+ points 12 years in a row from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. So when Bruno “crossed the border” into the McLaren Vale with his “Border Crossing,” we followed. Sure enough, Bruno has turned up the dial on complexity without sacrificing the juicy, dark-fruited generosity we so love in his wines.

After an exhaustive search of the McLaren Vale, Tait locked into a vineyard in Aldinga, not far from where a 60-foot Buddha statue is being built right on the coast. “The climate is hot during the day with cool nights since the site is only 4 kilometers from the beach,” Tait explained. “Gully winds from nearby Sellicks Hill cleanse the vines, and even with spur pruning and north-south orientation for excellent sun exposure, we get just under 2 tons per acre.” That’s a far cry from the Australia of yesterday, when too many growers were cranking out as many tons as the vines could handle without cracking under their own weight.

In 2014, strong winds and frost reduced yields even further, but the remaining clusters were healthy and enjoyed clear skies and sunny cool weather during harvest. “We picked the fruit when it was physiologically ripe and vinified the grapes at our winery in the Barossa,” said Tait. After twice-daily pump-overs, for maximum extraction of color and flavor, and once through a week-long fermentation, the wine was slowly basket-pressed, then aged in French and American oak for 18 months.

The result is an astonishing, purely hedonistic red that Tait could easily sell for three times its price. But — thankfully — he doesn’t, at least not yet. This 2014 Tait Cellars “Border Crossing” is deep purple in color with lavish aromas of intense, dark-berry fruit and blackberry cordial with hints of cassis. Voluptuous on the attack but not overwhelming, as velvety smooth tannin and ample acidity underscore delicious black- and blue-fruit preserves, more cassis, and a touch of oak spice, tinged with vanilla bean and dark chocolate notes. Drinking beautifully out the gate, but will develop mature flavors in another 8-10 years.

Tasted twice by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and BOTH times 90 points for a “big, rich, full-bodied” and “full-on opulent” package loaded with “velvety fruit” and a “long and spicy” finish — all for under $20? All thanks to Bruno Tait for “keeping it real.” In advance of a $25 release price, Bruno has given WineAccess this first-to-market exclusive at $17.99 per bottle. Hedonism is wafting up from Down Under and it’s never tasted so good.