March 12, 2022 - Screwcap, 14.5% alc. Strong dark ruby/ red ink colour; still bright.
Reasonably subdued savoury nose of deli meats, dusty cupboard, blackberry and plum. Pan juices, vanilla, and star anise in the background.
While the nose comes across as quiet and tertiary, the wine explodes on the palate with rich, ripe, palate staining sweet fruit and oak that really fans out with powerful intensity. The tannins are always making themselves known; fine grained but plentiful and chewy on the finish. Acidity firm, and alcohol showing a little.
Opinion: Clearly a high quality wine; not a pretender like many. Though looked better on day 1 than day 3. Reassess in 3-4 years.
August 30, 2021 - Absolutely terrific. Drinking beautifully now. Long smooth palate. Pleasure drinking
April 18, 2021 - Blackberry and sous bois in the nose. Flavors include blackberry, pepper, heat, burnt notes. Meh.
October 4, 2018 - WSET Level 2 Class; 9/13/2018-11/4/2018 (The Texas Wine School): Good bordering on very good quality Shiraz that is clear, deep ruby in color. On the nose, it's clean with a medium intensity. It has aromas and flavors of black cherry, blueberry, cooked fruits, tobacco, leather, spices, vanilla, chocolate, and toast. On the palate, it's dry with medium acidity, medium tannins, full body, and a medium finish.
This wine will be better in another 2-3 years once the fruit comes down just a notch and the aging takes hold a little more. Well integrated oak while still fruitful. I would put this with a pork roast or a steak for sure!
January 3, 2018 - A nicely aging Shiraz. Still had a lot of Dark berries on the front but obviously with some aged character too. The middle swam with a mix of fruits, a touch of spice and some mild tannin. The finish was smooth and subtle fruit and maybe a touch of light tannin.
May 20, 2017 - A very nice Aussie shiraz, though not a particularly good QPR. My complaint is the same as Hutch's, that at 11 years of age, this should show some development. Instead it tastes like a 3-year old Aussie, which means lots of blueberry, but no secondary tastes to speak of. If I had another bottle, I would let it sit for another decade before trying again.
May 9, 2017 - Closed, boozy nose, with notes of charred oak and anise. Medium-bodied palate, with strong (slightly harsh) alcohol and flavours of black fruit and charred oak. Tastes very young.
May 8, 2017 - Lots of black and blue berries throughout with very good concentration. Just slightly sweeter than perfect, but that still worked well tonight with rich gumbo.
May 3, 2017 - I love screw caps, all the more b/c of two corked bottled encounters recently. And this bottle shows fruit probably almost as bright than upon release. But I keep thinking of former experiences of 10-15 year old Aussie reds, which was usually my sweet spot for enjoyment. In screw caps, these 10-15 year old wines don't have that, and it does make me wonder a bit about putting everything in screw cap. Either way, lots of fruit on this, very big and rich, not overly complex. Just a really nice Aussie Shiraz. Big, but not over the top.
December 28, 2016 - Fantastic cool climate Shiraz. Totally showed up my Giaconda Warner from last night (to be fair, this is screwcap, not cork, unlike the Warner). Intensely perfumed nose of fruits, savoury spice, pepper and dusty earth. Great velvety mouthfeel of sour plums, blackberries, blueberries and a cornucopia of other fruit in the background, intertwined with great savoury spice. Tannins make their presence felt, but in a smooth, integrated way. Finish is nice and long.