The Athazagoraphobic Cat
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2026
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Slow-cooked lamb shanks, wild boar ragu, mature hard cheeses
✨ Technical Specifications
Named after the fear of being forgotten or ignored, 'The Athazagoraphobic Cat' is a wonderfully eccentric and robust red blend from d'Arenberg. This wine showcases winemaker Chester Osborn's love for alternative varieties, pairing the intensely tannic, deeply colored Sagrantino grape of Umbrian origin with a touch of McLaren Vale's signature Shiraz to soften its rustic edges. The grapes are grown in the ancient, weathered soils of McLaren Vale and undergo traditional winemaking, including gentle foot-treading and basket pressing. The result is a wine of immense structure, savory complexity, and vibrant dark fruit character that demands attention—ensuring it lives up to its quirky name.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1912 by Joseph Osborn, d'Arenberg stands as an iconic pillar of McLaren Vale viticulture, stewarded today by fourth-generation chief winemaker Chester Osborn. The estate spans undulating coastal landscapes influenced by the moderating maritime winds of the Gulf St Vincent, resting upon complex, ancient geologies ranging from calcareous Terra Rossa to sandy loam and weathered limestone. Viticulture is rigorous and certified organic and biodynamic across all estate-owned and leased vineyards. While renowned for formidable Rhone-style reds, d'Arenberg's white winemaking upholds identical artisanal rigor: gentle whole-bunch basket pressing ensures minimal phenolics and purity of expression. From the racy, textural The Money Spider Roussanne and crisp The Dry Dam Riesling to the lusciously layered botrytised expressions The Noble Semillon and The Noble Botryotinia Fuckeliana, the wines epitomize balance, crystalline minerality, and vibrant natural acidity.
🍇 Grapes
Sagrantino, Shiraz
🍷 ABV
14.0% - 14.5%