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NOTES
Charlie Melton was one of the first men to recognise the value and tradition of Barossa’s ancient Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedré blends. At a time when a vine pull scheme was announced to remove excess Shiraz vines, Charlie convinced many others to retain them. As we can see now, these ancient wines are producing outstanding examples of Shiraz and also Grenache and Mourvedré.
After having travelled to France, Charlie developed a lifelong passion of the wines from the Rhône Valley especially the southern areas where Shiraz Grenache and Mourvedré are blended together to give us the wines more commonly known as GSM blends.
TASTING NOTES
Very definitely a year where the Grenache has shone. Beautiful musky/talcum-like perfume, with just a touch of spicy Shiraz influence. More complex, sweet cedar flavours on the palate, with excellent weight and a long sweet aftertaste to finish. This wine, as is the case with the Shiraz, reflects the milder, wetter winter before harvest. This has provided a degree more perfume and elegance compared to the drought harvest of ’03 which gave spicier, dark soy-type characters.
REVIEWS up until 2006
2002 Nine Popes awarded GOLD MEDAL
Decanter World Wine Awards - June 2005
Nine Popes in Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine III & IV
“Nine Popes is to Grenache and Mourvedre what Grange is to Shiraz.”
Langton’s Australian Fine Wine Investment Guide
“There is little doubt the wine that did more than any other to make this style (GSM) fashionable in Australia was Charles Melton’s Nine Popes.. It seized the imagination of both the public and Melton’s fellow winemakers.” - Huon Hooke
“…luscious, wild cherry-scented wonder, beautifully Australian, yet so romantically inclined it could weaken any number of Southern French knees.” - Wine & Spirits USA
“Charlie Melton’s take on the Rhone blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvédre has done a lot to resurrect this type of wine in the public consciousness.” - Ralph Kyte-Powell
“One of the most important winemakers to ‘rediscover’ grenache was Charles Melton…developed his own take on the classic Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre, named, in true larrikin Aussie Spirit, ‘Nine Popes’ (‘Neuf’… ‘pape’… get it?)…”… “Arguably the finest.” - Max Allen
Both the Nine Popes and the Charles Melton Wines brand feature regularly
in James Halliday’s annual Top 100. “The classy mother of them all” - James Halliday
“One of my favourite Barossa wineries… Charles Melton.”
Robert M. Parker Jnr.
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