Tait The Border Crossing McLaren Vale Shiraz 2014

Tait fashions only bold, full-throttle wines, and the winery’s newest release, the 2014 Tait The Border Crossing, is no exception. This sumptuous McLaren Vale Shiraz to which a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon has been added practically leaps from the glass. Beautiful berry, chocolate, plum, and floral notes stream from the glass to delight the nose. In the mouth, The Border Crossing explodes with rich, hedonistic blackberry, blueberry, and mint flavors infused with touches of mocha and dark chocolate. Velvety and plush in texture, the 2014 The Border Crossing caresses the mouth, but never loses its structural integrity. Ripe, solid tannins frame this big-boned beauty from ancient McLaren Vale vines to provide a long, lingering finish. Absolutely gorgeous now, the 2014 Tait The Border Crossing will surely continue to delight for up to a decade or more. The recipient of numerous 90+ ratings, including 91 points from Wine Spectator and 90 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Tait’s The Border Crossing is not to be missed. Serve it cool (60°-64° F), afford it 15-20 minutes of aeration and let the good times roll. Enjoy!

Tait’s sumptuous 2014 The Border Crossing constitutes a meal in itself, but for those looking to double the pleasure, consider pairing it with flavor-filled foods rich in personality. Herb and Black Olive Tapenade Encrusted Pork Tenderloin served with garlic mashed potatoes offers good companionship. Add a highly charged ratatouille served with homemade pasta and the pleasure quotient goes up even further. Thin slices of beef with a Shiraz demi-glaze on a bed of sweet potato mash and accompanied by roasted root vegetables gains high marks, too. A venison burger topped with black pepper aioli and onion confit provides another tasty treat in the company of Tait’s The Border Crossing, as does a spicy andouille sausage pizza with broccoli rabe and fior di latte cheese. Enjoy!

Tait is truly a boutique winery in all respects. Located in the small town of Lyndoch in the southern end of South Australia’s Barossa Valley, the winery overlooks the spectacular Barossa Ranges and is owned and run by Michael and Bruno Tait and Bruno’s wife, Michelle. They acquired the property in 1994 to continue the Tait family’s winemaking tradition. Although relatively new to winemaking, Michael and Bruno’s family had long been involved with wine. The brothers’ father, Giovanni Tait, was a master cooper who migrated from Italy to Australia in 1957 where he worked in Barossa, making and repairing oak casks for ageing wine. He learned his trade in Italy from his father and grandfather; together they share over 100 years of experience crafting oak casks. Nevertheless, Giovanni’s ultimate dream was to one day to establish a family winery called Tait Wines, which came to fruition with sons Michael and Bruno.

Tait’s winemaking philosophy is quite simple: produce hand-crafted, bold-flavored, full-throttle wines that exhibit intense flavors and aromas. They use only the highest quality Barossa and McLaren Vale fruit from low yielding vines, many of which are 50-80 years of age. All of Tait’s wines are made on site and are hand crafted using traditional winemaking methods including open fermentation, extended maceration and basket pressing to ensure the highest quality and consistency.

Tait crafts three iconic wines, The Wild Ride, a rich and superbly-made GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre) that ranks as one of Australia’s finest; The Ball Buster, a classic full-bodied Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot blend, and The Border Crossing, a sumptuous Shiraz from across the Barossa border in neighboring McLaren Vale and the winery’s newest venture. Tait also bottles small amounts of a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon to round out its portfolio.