April 8, 2024 - Quite a tart taste but opens up a bit with time
October 27, 2023 - Wine Club - Aussie Shiraz Theme: Much more red-fruited than anticipated. More red in colour with a great level of acidity. This needs time as it never really unfurled in the glass.
I wouldn't guess Australian Shiraz if this was served blind. It felt like this could have been made in Italy given the level of acidity, its structure and the tannins.
October 16, 2023 - First of two bottles. Day 2. Deep purple with a watery rim. Aromas of cedar, red fruits, caramel, herbaceousness, plastic. On the palate: quite fruity with pepper and citrus pith. M body, M+ acid, XD, M+ tannin, M alcohol (13.5%). Medium-long tangy finish. We'll see what happens with another four years of bottle age!
August 22, 2023 - Starts off quite compact and tight. There are briary fruits and a gently creamy feel. It has some vanilla spice and a hint of leather and menthol. It shows good flesh and precision with air. I like its acid line and fresh, energetic finish.
August 20, 2023 - Clear deep ruby; clean medium plus nose of barnyard, red cherries, slight acetate and leather; dry; medium plus acidity; medium tannins; medium plus alcohol; medium plus body; medium plus flavour intensity; palate is tarter with addition of black pepper and cocoa; medium plus to long finish; drink now or better to give it a few years; great wine - definitely more Northern Rhone than Aussie Shiraz; respectable QPR; not blinded
June 11, 2023 - Plommon, mörk frukt, cigarrlåda, eukalyptus, choklad. Stor, fruktig och rätt bombastisk. Dock en väldigt elegant syra som gör att hela paketet håller ihop otroligt fint. Eken fint integrerad med måttliga tanniner och sammantaget ett riktigt, riktigt fint vin.
May 28, 2023 - Opened and let it breathe for 3 hours. My notes are based on a glass had after the bottle was opened and poured from 6 hours in. Food pairing was chopped cheese.
Medium to dark purple on the glass with a clearing at the rim.
On the nose: ripe blackberries, hint of strawberries, violets.
On the palate: the wine is extremely balanced with good acidity, spice, a medium long finish and very fine tannins. Plums, blackberries, cloves, hints of mint, excellent weight and the spices longer on the finish for a solid minute. Wonderful wine, alcohol declared at 13.5%, look forward to seeing this age and unveil its potential.
May 13, 2023 - Black damson, blackberry, nice intensity on the palate (slightly less so on the nose) and well balanced. Great colour - sort of aubergine. Tannins are present but not off putting. Alcohol not imposing. Very juicy! Yet elegant with a nod to the Rhone, retaining a lovely new world edge - more fruit and menthol, less herb/spice. Started a 91 but the end of the bottle (decanted for 2 hrs) this was a 92 - a few years could give way to a 94. Great value at 30 quid.
January 29, 2023 - Got little on the nose, but good fruit, very smooth and fair length. When I first got into wine over 90% of what I drank was from Oz and I drink little now, but this may get me looking more at this part of the world. Enjoyed it a lot and bought back very happy memories of a visit to the estate, Margaret River and Oz in 2003 to see England win the rugby World Cup.
January 14, 2023 - Tasting of Leeuwin Estate Art Series, hosted by The Wine Society, UK. Cherry colour. Plummy and spicy nose, earthy, pepper, mushrooms. The palate is rich, luscious, blackberries. It's well balanced. Tannins evident and clingy on the palate. Good, but needs a bit more time.