The deep purple appearance belies its age. Closer inspection does reveal some limited fading and a watery hue. Loaded up with blueberries and blackberries, along with liquorice. In additional there are some herbal aspects. Clove and smoky oak. Still fresh and primary on the nose. A spicy medium bodied palate brings more aged qualities as it's quite savoury and earthy.Tannins have resolved to an extent, while still holding the structure in place. The acidity provides a liveliness that nicely balances the aged notes. On the finish, some alcoholic warmth appears, while in general it does tend to fade away a little too quickly than ideal. Now a snooth,soft ready to drink wine that will perhaps hold for a little while longer.
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An ol’ cool climate Shiraz charmer. Colour fades by degrees, brick rim to pale red to a darker centre.
Hi-toned nose. Spray of pepper, light spice, marinated strawberry and later hints of tar. Quite lovely but suggesting it’s moved into its twilight years.
The still juicy palate leans to the lighter end of medium bodied. Retains enough savoury red/dark cherry fruit and tarry/spice to offset the drying tannins. Caught on the cusp of drying out into a lipstick (John Hiatt) sunset.
It was as just what I wanted and expected, although it would have been better a few years ago - but I just couldn’t find it amidst the shambles of my cellar. Don’t wait, drink. PS good value for AUD25 or so.
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Found in the cellar for a mid week quaffer, was not expecting a great deal and sadly it lived up to my expectations. Not showing its age, still relatively fresh. Medium bodied, some red fruits and thats about it.
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Notes after a few days open. Beautiful nose here... gobs of blueberry, menthol, & eucalyptus; love it. The palate isn't quite as fantastic, but this is still an excellent wine that has certainly improved over its lifetime. Same notes on the palate. This has lost some of the tart qualities I mentioned in my 11/13/2016 note, and is much more round and inviting. If I could find more of this right now, I'd buy a whole bunch of it. Great dry & lengthy finish. 90-91 pts.
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Dark inky purple, beautifully integrated tannins reveal a supple wine with structure, some softness developing - lovely mouthfeel, medium bodied with reasonable length. Drying edges keep it savoury.
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Bright red, light to medium body, slight sediment of black powder. Floral note with rubber and hint of alcohol. Taste of mostly red fruit the first glass, pour through aerator, same even after 40 min. Second glass has more black fruit component. Probably forming layer. Either way, short finish. Not sure how Holiday can give a 96 rating, It would be hard to make it to 90 by 1st day. Compare with Yering station, both are from Victoria, west Australia(different from Barossa in South Australia), we all flavors Yering. Air tighted half of the bottle, will try next day see if any improvement. 2nd day is more on dark fruit side, more tannin and a little longer finish. Not sure if because we are having beef this time. But still short from 90 mark.
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Had this with a ribeye today and really enjoyed it. Alone it seems just a little more tart than I'd prefer (Barossa juicy, ripe fruit is more my favorite), but with the meat it was balanced quite nicely. Blueberry, some spice, a little pipe tobacco, and a hint of smoky acidity. Going to hold a bit longer before popping either of my other 2 bottles. If it rounds off it seems to have a shot at 90 pts. For now: 88 pts.
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Dark plum red, ripe fruit but not a fruit bomb, great body, a hint of spice along with discrete white pepper. Balanced acid and tannins, fleshy mid palate and nice length. Very enjoyable and cellaring prospects for another 3 - 5 years at least.
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Lovely fruit, soft tannins and acid for days. Tasty bottle of wine and excellent with food. Not overblown at all. Can keep but certainly good to drink now.
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Dark ruby. Medium intensity of perfumed plums, violet, hints of vanilla, liquorice. Palate is dry, medium acid, medium tannins, medium minus body (but which very much complements the wine), medium plus alcohol, medium plus length. On the palate are flavours of chocolate and blackberry. A very good wine which is probably close to its peak but may improve a little further.
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What a turnaround from previous bottle. More like an earlier bottle but now showing some age. Still lovely rich plummy red color. Lovely lifted spice, plum and some cedar on both nose and palate. Lovely balance and now and pretty long palate. Nice finish. Again very impressive.
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Red and black berries on the nose, pepper. Vanilla. Medium acid, medium plus tannin, blackcurrant. Medium plus alcohol. Good value wine with still time to go.
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What's going on here? I've tried this wine quite a few times over the last few years and always the same thing: massive acid. We drank this over three nights and the acid still poked out. Hold, maybe, but will this ever balance out? I'm not convinced at all. :-(
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Not sure what was happening with this bottle compared to my last. In a transition phase? Dunno. Irrespective, this bottle was shrill with the acid poking right through the palate in all the wrong places. We drank it over three nights. No dice. No change. I'm keeping my other bottles for a bit of a sleep.
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Poured immediately, no decanting. Blackberry, licorice, anise and hints of cocoanut for the nose. Medium bodied with an elegant fruit and spice balance. Not what I'd consider semi-dry or full-fruity, finding a distinguishing spot in between. Outstanding silky smooth medium to long finish. Another point or two if this showed some complexity on the palate. Still very impressive and would buy again on sight. Paired nicely with roasted lamb chops.
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Lifted, buzzy, cool climate tones but has great generosity. Mild inky fruits fill the palate out well. A great example of complexity without straying above midweight. Genuinely refreshing.
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Popped and poured, drank with tomato-based pasta. Dark garnet color. Light viscosity.
Initially, the nose had strong hints of glue, but this blew off pretty quickly. Cool, light nose. In the mouth, smooth medium-bodied, with almost no tannins noticeably. Blueberries, some acidity but well balanced. No alcohol burn.
Overall, a decent but not a particularly impressive wine.
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Good bang for your buck in this one. For a $20 wine to have so much elegance and structure is remarkable. It took a while for it to open up in the decanter, so give it a 5-8 years and it should be singing. A lovely medium bodied cool climate Shiraz with not too much pepper.
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Nose of cassis, nut oils, and eucalypt forest floor. Medium body with juicy fresh cassis and blackberry fruit and vibrant acidity. I think this is one to enjoy young, but short term aging may help it settle down and open up.
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Graphite, minerals, spice and cherry. Good texture to the palate with carry and driven fruit. Nicely medium bodied and balanced. Tasted blind but now know it is really impressive QPR.
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3/6/2023 - Robbie K wrote: 89 Points
The deep purple appearance belies its age. Closer inspection does reveal some limited fading and a watery hue.
Loaded up with blueberries and blackberries, along with liquorice. In additional there are some herbal aspects. Clove and smoky oak. Still fresh and primary on the nose.
A spicy medium bodied palate brings more aged qualities as it's quite savoury and earthy.Tannins have resolved to an extent, while still holding the structure in place. The acidity provides a liveliness that nicely balances the aged notes. On the finish, some alcoholic warmth appears, while in general it does tend to fade away a little too quickly than ideal.
Now a snooth,soft ready to drink wine that will perhaps hold for a little while longer.
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3/24/2022 - Dr S Likes this wine: 91 Points
An ol’ cool climate Shiraz charmer. Colour fades by degrees, brick rim to pale red to a darker centre.
Hi-toned nose. Spray of pepper, light spice, marinated strawberry and later hints of tar. Quite lovely but suggesting it’s moved into its twilight years.
The still juicy palate leans to the lighter end of medium bodied. Retains enough savoury red/dark cherry fruit and tarry/spice to offset the drying tannins. Caught on the cusp of drying out into a lipstick (John Hiatt) sunset.
It was as just what I wanted and expected, although it would have been better a few years ago - but I just couldn’t find it amidst the shambles of my cellar. Don’t wait, drink. PS good value for AUD25 or so.
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11/12/2020 - Kayaking wrote: 87 Points
Found in the cellar for a mid week quaffer, was not expecting a great deal and sadly it lived up to my expectations. Not showing its age, still relatively fresh. Medium bodied, some red fruits and thats about it.
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6/25/2019 - whme Likes this wine: 90 Points
Delish!
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1/27/2019 - Jchen01854 wrote:
Bright red, too much oak on nose initially, subset later, some red and black fruit, smooth tannin and good length. Better than last time.
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10/21/2018 - MadisonWIneGuy wrote: 91 Points
Notes after a few days open. Beautiful nose here... gobs of blueberry, menthol, & eucalyptus; love it. The palate isn't quite as fantastic, but this is still an excellent wine that has certainly improved over its lifetime. Same notes on the palate. This has lost some of the tart qualities I mentioned in my 11/13/2016 note, and is much more round and inviting. If I could find more of this right now, I'd buy a whole bunch of it. Great dry & lengthy finish. 90-91 pts.
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5/7/2017 - wineian Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark inky purple, beautifully integrated tannins reveal a supple wine with structure, some softness developing - lovely mouthfeel, medium bodied with reasonable length. Drying edges keep it savoury.
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3/22/2017 - Jchen01854 wrote:
Bright red, light to medium body, slight sediment of black powder. Floral note with rubber and hint of alcohol. Taste of mostly red fruit the first glass, pour through aerator, same even after 40 min. Second glass has more black fruit component. Probably forming layer. Either way, short finish. Not sure how Holiday can give a 96 rating, It would be hard to make it to 90 by 1st day. Compare with Yering station, both are from Victoria, west Australia(different from Barossa in South Australia), we all flavors Yering. Air tighted half of the bottle, will try next day see if any improvement.
2nd day is more on dark fruit side, more tannin and a little longer finish. Not sure if because we are having beef this time. But still short from 90 mark.
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12/4/2016 - pkatz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark fruit and subtle, an unusual attribute for Aussie shiraz, but delicious.
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11/13/2016 - MadisonWIneGuy wrote: 88 Points
Had this with a ribeye today and really enjoyed it. Alone it seems just a little more tart than I'd prefer (Barossa juicy, ripe fruit is more my favorite), but with the meat it was balanced quite nicely. Blueberry, some spice, a little pipe tobacco, and a hint of smoky acidity. Going to hold a bit longer before popping either of my other 2 bottles. If it rounds off it seems to have a shot at 90 pts. For now: 88 pts.
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8/22/2016 - nulla Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark plum red, ripe fruit but not a fruit bomb, great body, a hint of spice along with discrete white pepper. Balanced acid and tannins, fleshy mid palate and nice length. Very enjoyable and cellaring prospects for another 3 - 5 years at least.
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7/21/2016 - SnowMeadow Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely fruit, soft tannins and acid for days. Tasty bottle of wine and excellent with food. Not overblown at all. Can keep but certainly good to drink now.
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6/27/2016 - zding Likes this wine: 92 Points
Balanced and elegant violets
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6/26/2016 - WineSpat Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark ruby. Medium intensity of perfumed plums, violet, hints of vanilla, liquorice. Palate is dry, medium acid, medium tannins, medium minus body (but which very much complements the wine), medium plus alcohol, medium plus length. On the palate are flavours of chocolate and blackberry. A very good wine which is probably close to its peak but may improve a little further.
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3/16/2016 - Pverd Likes this wine: 90 Points
What a turnaround from previous bottle. More like an earlier bottle but now showing some age. Still lovely rich plummy red color. Lovely lifted spice, plum and some cedar on both nose and palate. Lovely balance and now and pretty long palate. Nice finish. Again very impressive.
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9/11/2015 - WineSpat Likes this wine: 92 Points
Red and black berries on the nose, pepper. Vanilla. Medium acid, medium plus tannin, blackcurrant. Medium plus alcohol. Good value wine with still time to go.
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7/26/2015 - Pverd wrote: 85 Points
Like Travis this drank much better earlier in its life and was even more complex. Dumber and quite unbalanced. Disappointing
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2/19/2015 - TravisW Does not like this wine: 79 Points
What's going on here? I've tried this wine quite a few times over the last few years and always the same thing: massive acid. We drank this over three nights and the acid still poked out. Hold, maybe, but will this ever balance out? I'm not convinced at all. :-(
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6/3/2014 - OzPaulG Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tried for the first time in a year. Ageing very well
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4/1/2014 - TravisW wrote: 79 Points
Not sure what was happening with this bottle compared to my last. In a transition phase? Dunno. Irrespective, this bottle was shrill with the acid poking right through the palate in all the wrong places. We drank it over three nights. No dice. No change. I'm keeping my other bottles for a bit of a sleep.
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2/24/2014 - 750ml Likes this wine: 90 Points
Poured immediately, no decanting. Blackberry, licorice, anise and hints of cocoanut for the nose. Medium bodied with an elegant fruit and spice balance. Not what I'd consider semi-dry or full-fruity, finding a distinguishing spot in between. Outstanding silky smooth medium to long finish. Another point or two if this showed some complexity on the palate. Still very impressive and would buy again on sight. Paired nicely with roasted lamb chops.
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5/12/2013 - StewartWent wrote: 88 Points
Lifted, buzzy, cool climate tones but has great generosity. Mild inky fruits fill the palate out well. A great example of complexity without straying above midweight. Genuinely refreshing.
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5/5/2013 - jchua123 wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured, drank with tomato-based pasta. Dark garnet color. Light viscosity.
Initially, the nose had strong hints of glue, but this blew off pretty quickly. Cool, light nose. In the mouth, smooth medium-bodied, with almost no tannins noticeably. Blueberries, some acidity but well balanced. No alcohol burn.
Overall, a decent but not a particularly impressive wine.
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4/21/2013 - TravisW Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good bang for your buck in this one. For a $20 wine to have so much elegance and structure is remarkable. It took a while for it to open up in the decanter, so give it a 5-8 years and it should be singing. A lovely medium bodied cool climate Shiraz with not too much pepper.
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12/31/2012 - graphite wrote: 90 Points
Nose of cassis, nut oils, and eucalypt forest floor. Medium body with juicy fresh cassis and blackberry fruit and vibrant acidity. I think this is one to enjoy young, but short term aging may help it settle down and open up.
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11/24/2012 - CamWheeler wrote: 90 Points
Graphite, minerals, spice and cherry. Good texture to the palate with carry and driven fruit. Nicely medium bodied and balanced. Tasted blind but now know it is really impressive QPR.
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