The purple-colored 2006 Shiraz was sourced from the cooler Fleurieu Peninsula and aged for 18 months in 40% new French oak puncheons. The nose offers up smoke, earth notes, blueberry compote and blackberry liqueur. This leads to a full-bodied, ripe, rich Shiraz with succulent dark fruit flavors, spice notes, and a plush mouth-feel. It will evolve for several years and be at its best from 2010 to 2018. Cascabel is a five hectare estate, four of which are planted to nine grape varieties. It is the project of Duncan Ferguson and Susana Fernandez, the latter a native of Madrid. The concept is to put a Spanish face on McLaren Vale wines.Importer: Southern Starz, Huntington Beach, CA; tel. (714) 892-3030

The 2005 Shiraz is Cascabel’s only wine not produced from estate fruit. Instead the grapes are sourced from a single vineyard in the cooler climate Fleurieu Peninsula with tiny yields of 1.2 tons per acre. The wine was aged for 18 months in 30% new French oak puncheons. Opaque purple-colored, this Shiraz has an impressive bouquet of pain grille, tar, licorice, smoke, blueberry, and blackberry. Full-bodied, this packed effort delivers intense, complex black fruit flavors, well-concealed tannins, and great length. Somehow, this large-scaled wine manages to retain a sense of elegance. Drink it over the next 8-10 years.Cascabel is a 5 hectare estate, 4 of which are planted to nine varieties. It is the project of Duncan Ferguson and Susana Fernandez, a native of Madrid. The goal is to put a Spanish face on McLaren Vale wines.Importer: Ken Onish and John Gorman, Southern Starz; tel. (714) 892-3030