Mine was the very last bottle at Cooden Cellars; how lucky was I! It arrived too late for December’s Wine Blogging Wednesday (where I had to slum it with a Mexican Petite Sirah) so it sat in the rack until the Christmas Day meal.
Guys and Gals, it was well worth waiting for – the match with Oven Roasted Partridge was sensational!

The locally shot brace (brought from the covered market in Oxford) was subjected to a Slater recipe (Roast Partridge with juniper and thyme) from a November issue of the Observer Magazine and was served with Brussels Sprouts stir-fried with Chestnuts and Pork Chipolatas and huge amounts of bread sauce. Simply delicious.

Wine Tasting Note: Campbells The Barkly Durif, 1997, Rutherglen, Australia.
This vintage purchased from Cooden Cellars [more] for £15.99.
Full-bodied, ripe but with a good structure. Nice tannic backbone supporting the red berry fruit with a complexity of dusty spice, a cherry edge, inky depths and a plummy whole. A long lasting, chocolaty almost port-like finish. The acidity is still lively and balancing. Good length to boot.

Scribblings Rating – 96/100 [4.5 out of 5]
The 2003 seems to be the vintage currently available in the UK and one that is highly recommended for placing in your cellar for 5 plus years. As soon as funds become available I’ll be buying!

Durif is an extremely rare variety first propagated by Dr Durif in the Rhone Valley of France in the 1880′s. It is now virtually extinct in France. It arrived in Rutherglen in the early 1900′s and has become synonymous with the region. Its unique qualities have been recognised by other Australian producers and plantings are increasing throughout Australia.
We have experimented and refined our techniques for handling durif over several decades. In 1992 we introduced The Barkly Durif, the ultimate expression of this variety. Only the very best parcels of fruit from good vintages are used and the resultant wine is carefully aged in a mix of oak barrels, both old and new,
from France, Germany and America.”