Review: 2019 Hardys Tintara Reserve Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon
Don’t call it “Hardy’s”: This Australian winery named in honor of Thomas Hardy, who inaugurated grape-growing in the McLaren Vale region in 1861, launching winemaking in the country, forgoes the apostrophe altogether. His Upper Tintara vineyard became one of the most prominent in the country.
Today, Hardys is 171 years old and still putting out wines across the price spectrum. Today we look at two of its entry-level bottlings, a shiraz (of course) and a cabernet.
2019 Hardys Tintara Reserve Shiraz McLaren Vale – Big and brutish, notes of blackberries and plums square off with a heavy roasted meat quality. A layer of violets add some floral complexity to the wine, tempering its tougher qualities and rounding off the edges to some degree, but it remains an iconically red-meat powerhouse that needs an appropriate pairing to keep its density in check. Ample sweetness on the finish helps to keep any lingering tannins from becoming dominant. B / $20
2019 Hardys Tintara Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale – Approachable with its hefty fruit focus leaning hard on currants and cherries, plus a touch of mint. Bright and lightly sweet, there’s no tannin left here at all, if there ever was any to begin with. Juicy blueberry preserves keep the through-line going on the finish, where touches of chocolate come into focus as a foil against the minty attack. B+ / $20
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