Cork in good condition, and decanted off the sediment. Medium+ colour, garnet with some browning. Nose was intense with: sweet blackcurrant; sandal wood; pomegranate. High alcohol but well balanced and warming. Full bodied and opulent. Medium+ tannin. Medium- acidity. Prune and mulberry flavours with a long finish. This is better than just describing it as a big aussie wine done well, however, it would be better with some more acidity and some more tertiary flavours. It has several years ahead of it. Put the remainder in the fridge and had the next day. Less aroma and more flavour. Green and black olives on the nose. Black plum flavours.
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Garnet robe, some sediments. Nose of plum and leather. Medium bodied, smooth tanins, smokey, slightly sweet, long finish, very mature, probably downhill from here.
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15.5% abv. Garnet color, slight bricking at rim, very viscous glass coating tears. Secondary notes dominate nose: leather, sweet tobacco eucalyptus, prunes, raisins, red berries, tomato paste. Smooth, smoky, sweet, mellow tannins, minimal acid, med plus weight, med plus, pleasantly smooth and lingering finish. At peak, suggest you serve cool temp, drink up and enjoy. Very nice
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A flamboyantly gorgeous wine, now at its absolute peak. Blueberries, sweet plums, cherries, a hint of tangerine, flowers, tobacco, tar, vanilla, nutmeg, then a burst of chocolate and mint, leading into a lovely long aftertaste with ripe raspberries at the end. Should stay wonderful for a few more years, but don't wait! (I tasted this wine from several different glasses, and it was at its best, by a surprisingly wide margin, tasted from a generic Burgundy glass.)
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Decant and rebottle one hour (dark and red berry with decant, some underbrush; ruby slight thinning at rim; medium body, jammy plum, almost a little flabby; some sous bois; bramble and spice finish, still with some persistence; pleasant with unlikely room for improvement
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Appearance : medium garnet, with legs and lots of residual.
On nose : pronounced intensity, black fruit : casis, black plum, black berries, vanilla oak, cider wood, leather, tobacco leaf, black pepper spicines, very complex.
On palate : a bit off dry, medium acidity, all tannin are resolved and one may complain that the tannin is week as the toughness on gum are not noticeable. Strong flavour intensity with sweet ripe black fruit : cassis, blackberry on front palate, good use of oakiness, full body and high and warm alcohol (15.5% abv) on mid palate, some bitterness and mineral, leather and a hint of spiciness aftertaste with long finishing.
This wine is surprisingly good in term of the CP value (HKD $180 only!). This is certainly a very good example of Australian GSM blended with other grapes. Good intensity and depth, but I suggest to drink it now as the acidity is declining. Also the tannin is less and less noticeable as times goes by. This wine is obviously the style of “Robert Parker” in taste. The condition is a bit over peak now and I would say no need to wait for opening, better to pair with food such as some sweeten gravy on pork or steak. Cheers!
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Coravin # 2. First Coravin Taste was a little funky,but once I actually poured a glass there were no issues. One huge Wine. Very fruit forward, almost to the point of being syrupy and boozy. Tobacco big time, dark blue fruit, Blackberry, açaí, some chocolate. Remember liking it better on release. Still good, but over the top aged Aussie Shiraz can sometimes be hard to love.
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Opened this wine to celebrate my younger son's birthday with his ex-class mates.
Brick red in colour with a wonderful nose of fresh plums, coffee, chocolate, raspberry, blackberries with a touch of spice. On the palate, the wine is full of juicy ripe fruits with sweetness and juiciness showing through nicely. The integration of the wine is very much completed, with the oak and savoury notes complimenting the fruits well.
This is a highly enjoyable wine at this stage of its life. Should have bought more during a sale years back. Fully deserving of the Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, 94 Points that it has.
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Had this side-by-side with a Washington Bordeaux blend and it was a nice complement. While the WA wine was understated but delicious in it's subtlety, this Barossa wine was a bit more "in your face" - great extraction, flavors still right there (but obviously fading a bit with age). Went well with the food, but I'd advise to drink this one now, or soon.
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Ok, so just keeps improving with age. Would note; however, that I think the drinking window may have only 1-2 more years. The fruit and the finish seem to be 5% tired, but aged masterfully.
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Purple. Consumed at busy pre family wedding get together, so no serious tasting notes. Little funky at first. Opened up and improved. Lots of complexity, but maybe a bit awkward at this moment.
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It may be the age, it may be the specific bottle, but this was a strange wine. Very port-like in its density. Lots of plum flavors, but no prune. Lots of earth and leather. It was pleasant enough, but there was something in the back of the palate that was not in harmony with the rest of the experience. No visible cork leakage, pleasant nose of plums and violets.
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Opened with friends for dinner of Osso Buco, wine was fantastic, big jammy flavors but also well integrated. Everyone enjoyed this big bottle. Great nose.
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Nose of cassis, massive vanilla and some rock dust. The wallop of blackcurrant syrup and strawberry jam along with vanilla custard tell you this comes from the place where the varietal is spelled with a "Z" at the end.
Things are reeled in by a good tart acidity, luxurious glycerin levels, black pepper. Very soft tannins. The 15.5 alcohol is well hidden. This is for sipping and going "wow" rather than with a meal.
I'm happy I let this sit for a while, since if I drank upon release I would probably have dismissed as a nuclear fruit bomb-- unfairly since it has the integrity to evolve with time. Second bottle will sit for another year or so-- the acidic backbone is promising but the complete invisibility of tannins is not.
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Popped and drank after one hour over two more hours. Only improved. This is a sipping wine. A wonderful blend of grapes. Aromas,texture,tannins...sweet and long. Tobbaco,raspberry,cherry...ripe and fresh. Great now.
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I will spare rating this as it would not be pretty. Malthus really know how to make wines that I despise. Now that this has some bottle age you get notes of olives in brine, vinegar, and just total weirdness. Blockbuster wines such as his do not age well. There is obviously some bottle variation, too.
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Opened at the end of the night as I was looking for something heavy on the fruit and jam but not a dessert wine. This was the perfect wine for that. Dark blackberry and raspberry jam on the nose with some strong oak notes. Similar flavors on the palate with vanilla and a sweet pipe tobacco flavor on the tail end of the finish. The wine has a sweetness to it that is not for every occasion and the acidity was on the very low side so the wine drank a little flat, but it was very tasty and enjoyable for what it was.
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I thought this wine on night #1 (90+) was quite enjoyable with lots of dark fruit and a plush mouthfeel. On night #2 (mid-80's) it did become a little to sweet, though still pleasant for sipping after dinner.
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This is a very special type wine. You have to be in the mood for an over the top grenache blend....and then sip it. The combo works if your ready for standout components. Dark purple colour. Blackberry/boysenberry with cassis and Prince Albert pipe tobacco. Smooth and rich tannins and a long finish. Drink now or hold.
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As opposed to some other reviews I felt it had held up well, but it is definitely time to drink it. Good fruit and balance. Careful of the sediment near the bottom of the bottle.
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Much mature fruit, almost to the point of being sweet. Short on finish, but still quite drinkable nevertheless, almost better as an after dinner wine. It would not hold up to most meat entrees. Drink up now, as I doubt it has the bones to last much monger.
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Dark ruby, strong blackberry, cedar nose. On PnP, ripe cherry, candied Santa Rosa plums. After half hour decant and hour open time, some barnyard emerges with smooth tannins, light on the acid.
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Undrinkable. Will contact seller and try to return balance to distributor as bad. Couldn't be like this (again, more like a port than a drinking wine) unless it were somehow damaged in-transit. I've had in my temp-controlled walk-in since purchase.
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Drank a bottle of this last year and just opened another one. It is a disjointed fruit bomb offering little complexity, a strange taste profile and almost no finish. The bottle from last year was better so it may be at or past peak. Incredibly dissappointing for what it purports to be.
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Drink up! This is my last bottle, it's lacking any sort of structure but does have big, jammy, dark fruit flavors. I think this will improve, as it's already feeling a bit flabby, but for me it served well as a last bottle of the evening without having to go the dessert wine route.
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Opened and poured... felt closed.... needs a good few hours in a decanter. Dark ruby red with some slight fading at the edge. Medum nose of cinammon, cooked sweet fruits, floral notes. Medium/full bodied with decent structure. Notes of blackberries, black plum, burnt fruit. Long finish.
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Nose of violets , cedar and dark cherry a generous palate with a saturation of ripe, rich dark fruits, spice and vanillian oak to finish with a lingering mouth filling array of fine grained tannins , plum and creamy oak Review Link - www.winereviewer.com.au (drink by 2019)
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Opened for one hour (not decanted) before drinking with a moroccan dinner (Chermoula spiced tagine). Went spectacularly well with the Moroccan food. Dark ruby red, nearing purplish hue. Dark red stone fruit with a bit of pepper. Nice acid that worked well with the somewhat acidic food. Moderate tannins... do not believe more aging will better the wine. Should be drunk over next 2 years.... but open or decant for at least 2 hours. Excellent wine for a home cooked meal without much fanfare.
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Decanted and rebottled based on tastings over the first hour. More like an over-ripe port than any wine, and totally unlike the other bottles of this I've had Rate 84 today. Will return to the recorked/gassed bottle tomorrow. Day 2 - Better but still nothing I'd seek out. Rate 87 today. Went from port to a soft grenache-syrah blend, predominately fruit. Hope this was an off-bottle or that the wine has hit a dumb phase, otherwise I've got a lot of marinade base.
Not as much of a fan this time around, lots of fruit but seeming overripe and somewhat cooked and almost oxidized. I don't think it was any of the above, just noticing some traits. Lots of dark jammy fruit, but where's the structure?
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2 hr decant. Really dark jammy fruit on the nose and palate. Everything is well integrated though, and the alcohol is in check. Viscous mouthfeel with no detectable tannin - the fruit jam is the main act here.
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Found a 1/2 bottle that had been set aside after opening three months ago. Not nearly the fruit forward shiraz at present, its still in very good form. Little alcohol on the nose, more fruit than tannin on the palate, light weight with a brief finish. Impressed how well this stayed together after opening!
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Rich full bodied dark red fruits. This wine was tight, everything was together and balanced. The oak perfectly integrated. My only complaint was that it was one dimensional .. not changing at all throughout the evening but still just delicious.
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Decanted and approached almost immediately. I like the nose of roasted fruit and sweet pork sausage, the body and color was not what I expected and the wine seemed almost as disjointed. Maybe we rushed it, maybe it was stored really poorly, but overall this left me underwhelmed. After reading reviews on here and online I expected it to be a bit more over the top and massive. It began to evolved a bit more as time passed but it became more fruit forward and more 1 dimensional (although the graphite on the finish attempted to add something but it ended up tasting more awkward than integrated). The acidity on this wine is like a punch in the face and so the balance is somewhat off too. I usually like it to counter the creaminess of the body but everything hits you at once. I may try it again and let it breathe for a bit longer since I seem to be the only one who is not impressed.
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Drank with grilled rib-eye, decanted for 30 minutes before drinking then drank over 2-3 hours. Very dark and thick, very full bodied mouthfeel. Smoky, meaty, tobacco, and dense fruit (almost portish), improved over the 3 hours, very much a crowd pleaser
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Great Friday night wine. Dense color that you expect in an Aussie shiraz; immediate impression of chocolate on the nose. Decanted far too briefly but could swear I smelled and tasted steak when I went back to it. This was BEFORE I had started the steaks in the iron skillet. This is just a chewy, meaty, not too fruity wine that you can't stop drinking. It's a big wine; not particularly complex but despite modest tannins I think it's got some years in it. I've got five more bottles and am determined not to touch another for at least a year - or decant for several hours if I do. At $30 it's an excellent value.
(Also, just read TN's from 2008 from "davidandrose" and basically have to echo what's there.)
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Decanted for 3 hours, then rebottled and consumed the following day. In excellent condition, this was just too tight and tannic to really be approachable day 1; fortunately we were tired and didn't get to the bottle that night. Day 2 found this in fine form, nice acids, great mouthcoating and feel, lush fruits that coat the tongue but don't overwhelm. Glad to have a case of this. Opening less than 6-10 hours in advance would be a waste of a bottle at this point.
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Decanted for 3.5 hours, consumed over another 3.5 hours. Graphite remains a strong component throughout the evening, but an impressively smooth blend. Lots of spice, minerality, pepper and dark fruit. This could be spectacular in a few more years. Wanted to save some to try the next night, but we couldn't keep ourselves from draining the bottle.
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3/11/2022 - Elliot Vale Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cork in good condition, and decanted off the sediment.
Medium+ colour, garnet with some browning.
Nose was intense with: sweet blackcurrant; sandal wood; pomegranate.
High alcohol but well balanced and warming. Full bodied and opulent. Medium+ tannin. Medium- acidity.
Prune and mulberry flavours with a long finish.
This is better than just describing it as a big aussie wine done well, however, it would be better with some more acidity and some more tertiary flavours. It has several years ahead of it.
Put the remainder in the fridge and had the next day. Less aroma and more flavour. Green and black olives on the nose. Black plum flavours.
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12/3/2021 - Fred101 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Garnet robe, some sediments. Nose of plum and leather. Medium bodied, smooth tanins, smokey, slightly sweet, long finish, very mature, probably downhill from here.
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4/4/2021 - dclaggett Likes this wine: 92 Points
15.5% abv. Garnet color, slight bricking at rim, very viscous glass coating tears. Secondary notes dominate nose: leather, sweet tobacco eucalyptus, prunes, raisins, red berries, tomato paste. Smooth, smoky, sweet, mellow tannins, minimal acid, med plus weight, med plus, pleasantly smooth and lingering finish. At peak, suggest you serve cool temp, drink up and enjoy. Very nice
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1/12/2021 - SpenceP wrote: 96 Points
A flamboyantly gorgeous wine, now at its absolute peak. Blueberries, sweet plums, cherries, a hint of tangerine, flowers, tobacco, tar, vanilla, nutmeg, then a burst of chocolate and mint, leading into a lovely long aftertaste with ripe raspberries at the end. Should stay wonderful for a few more years, but don't wait! (I tasted this wine from several different glasses, and it was at its best, by a surprisingly wide margin, tasted from a generic Burgundy glass.)
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6/14/2020 - Hercules Likes this wine:
Delicious!
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5/28/2020 - barrkel Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rich, mature, gradually fading, but not dead yet.
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9/7/2019 - Artmount Likes this wine: 93 Points
dark chocolate, bold, rounded
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11/28/2018 - dafmd Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decant and rebottle one hour (dark and red berry with decant, some underbrush; ruby slight thinning at rim; medium body, jammy plum, almost a little flabby; some sous bois; bramble and spice finish, still with some persistence; pleasant with unlikely room for improvement
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10/6/2018 - HL Pong Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened up for half an hr,
Appearance : medium garnet, with legs and lots of residual.
On nose : pronounced intensity, black fruit : casis, black plum, black berries, vanilla oak, cider wood, leather, tobacco leaf, black pepper spicines, very complex.
On palate : a bit off dry, medium acidity, all tannin are resolved and one may complain that the tannin is week as the toughness on gum are not noticeable. Strong flavour intensity with sweet ripe black fruit : cassis, blackberry on front palate, good use of oakiness, full body and high and warm alcohol (15.5% abv) on mid palate, some bitterness and mineral, leather and a hint of spiciness aftertaste with long finishing.
This wine is surprisingly good in term of the CP value (HKD $180 only!). This is certainly a very good example of Australian GSM blended with other grapes. Good intensity and depth, but I suggest to drink it now as the acidity is declining. Also the tannin is less and less noticeable as times goes by. This wine is obviously the style of “Robert Parker” in taste. The condition is a bit over peak now and I would say no need to wait for opening, better to pair with food such as some sweeten gravy on pork or steak. Cheers!
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2/10/2018 - andrewdodd86 wrote: flawed
When opened picked up a funky green olive note
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1/26/2018 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Coravin # 2. First Coravin Taste was a little funky,but once I actually poured a glass there were no issues. One huge Wine. Very fruit forward, almost to the point of being syrupy and boozy. Tobacco big time, dark blue fruit, Blackberry, açaí, some chocolate. Remember liking it better on release. Still good, but over the top aged Aussie Shiraz can sometimes be hard to love.
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10/6/2017 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 94 Points
Luscious and complex. This bottle, though had an edge of tiredness not seen before by me. Enjoy but perhaps don't wait much longer 1-2 years.
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8/27/2017 - stayhappy21 wrote: 92 Points
Opened this wine to celebrate my younger son's birthday with his ex-class mates.
Brick red in colour with a wonderful nose of fresh plums, coffee, chocolate, raspberry, blackberries with a touch of spice. On the palate, the wine is full of juicy ripe fruits with sweetness and juiciness showing through nicely. The integration of the wine is very much completed, with the oak and savoury notes complimenting the fruits well.
This is a highly enjoyable wine at this stage of its life. Should have bought more during a sale years back. Fully deserving of the Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, 94 Points that it has.
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8/4/2017 - TallMikeWine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Had this side-by-side with a Washington Bordeaux blend and it was a nice complement. While the WA wine was understated but delicious in it's subtlety, this Barossa wine was a bit more "in your face" - great extraction, flavors still right there (but obviously fading a bit with age). Went well with the food, but I'd advise to drink this one now, or soon.
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7/22/2017 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 96 Points
Ok, so just keeps improving with age. Would note; however, that I think the drinking window may have only 1-2 more years. The fruit and the finish seem to be 5% tired, but aged masterfully.
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12/6/2014 - benny wrote: 94 Points
Wonderful
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9/16/2014 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very enjoyable...may surprise you all that we enjoyed this with authentic Korean BBQ.
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7/22/2014 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice wine, had a funky phase that blew off. Liked it. No specific notes.
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7/17/2014 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 88 Points
Purple. Consumed at busy pre family wedding get together, so no serious tasting notes.
Little funky at first. Opened up and improved. Lots of complexity, but maybe a bit awkward at this moment.
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4/27/2014 - whudock wrote: 87 Points
It may be the age, it may be the specific bottle, but this was a strange wine. Very port-like in its density. Lots of plum flavors, but no prune. Lots of earth and leather. It was pleasant enough, but there was something in the back of the palate that was not in harmony with the rest of the experience. No visible cork leakage, pleasant nose of plums and violets.
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4/7/2014 - mouki Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened with friends for dinner of Osso Buco, wine was fantastic, big jammy flavors but also well integrated. Everyone enjoyed this big bottle. Great nose.
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12/31/2013 - davidandrose wrote: flawed
Threw out several of these before, don't know why I moved these only to toss them out in another state. Pruny, port-like swill.
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10/25/2013 - ftc wrote: 90 Points
Nose of cassis, massive vanilla and some rock dust. The wallop of blackcurrant syrup and strawberry jam along with vanilla custard tell you this comes from the place where the varietal is spelled with a "Z" at the end.
Things are reeled in by a good tart acidity, luxurious glycerin levels, black pepper. Very soft tannins. The 15.5 alcohol is well hidden. This is for sipping and going "wow" rather than with a meal.
I'm happy I let this sit for a while, since if I drank upon release I would probably have dismissed as a nuclear fruit bomb-- unfairly since it has the integrity to evolve with time. Second bottle will sit for another year or so-- the acidic backbone is promising but the complete invisibility of tannins is not.
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6/17/2013 - benny wrote: 93 Points
Popped and drank after one hour over two more hours. Only improved. This is a sipping wine. A wonderful blend of grapes. Aromas,texture,tannins...sweet and long. Tobbaco,raspberry,cherry...ripe and fresh. Great now.
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5/10/2013 - Rezy13 Does not like this wine:
I will spare rating this as it would not be pretty. Malthus really know how to make wines that I despise. Now that this has some bottle age you get notes of olives in brine, vinegar, and just total weirdness. Blockbuster wines such as his do not age well. There is obviously some bottle variation, too.
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3/1/2013 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lets start with the vanilla notes. Move on to generous deep red fruit...and a finish that could last two lifetimes! Fantastic wine..!
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10/28/2012 - Rich S wrote: 88 Points
Opened at the end of the night as I was looking for something heavy on the fruit and jam but not a dessert wine. This was the perfect wine for that. Dark blackberry and raspberry jam on the nose with some strong oak notes. Similar flavors on the palate with vanilla and a sweet pipe tobacco flavor on the tail end of the finish. The wine has a sweetness to it that is not for every occasion and the acidity was on the very low side so the wine drank a little flat, but it was very tasty and enjoyable for what it was.
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7/30/2012 - carlsport wrote: 89 Points
I thought this wine on night #1 (90+) was quite enjoyable with lots of dark fruit and a plush mouthfeel. On night #2 (mid-80's) it did become a little to sweet, though still pleasant for sipping after dinner.
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7/20/2012 - benny wrote: 93 Points
This is a very special type wine. You have to be in the mood for an over the top
grenache blend....and then sip it. The combo works if your ready for standout
components. Dark purple colour. Blackberry/boysenberry with cassis and
Prince Albert pipe tobacco. Smooth and rich tannins and a long finish. Drink now or hold.
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6/23/2012 - davidandrose wrote:
3 more bottles poured down the drain. Even the sink cried out to end the pain.
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6/11/2012 - ticklenow1 wrote: 90 Points
Much better than the last bottle. Quite big ad with plenty of dark fruit and a good lashing of oak.
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5/12/2012 - dfarley wrote: 89 Points
As opposed to some other reviews I felt it had held up well, but it is definitely time to drink it. Good fruit and balance. Careful of the sediment near the bottom of the bottle.
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4/1/2012 - colowino wrote: 88 Points
Much mature fruit, almost to the point of being sweet. Short on finish, but still quite drinkable nevertheless, almost better as an after dinner wine. It would not hold up to most meat entrees. Drink up now, as I doubt it has the bones to last much monger.
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12/14/2011 - dsgris wrote: 91 Points
Dark ruby, strong blackberry, cedar nose. On PnP, ripe cherry, candied Santa Rosa plums. After half hour decant and hour open time, some barnyard emerges with smooth tannins, light on the acid.
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12/11/2011 - davidandrose wrote: flawed
Undrinkable. Will contact seller and try to return balance to distributor as bad. Couldn't be like this (again, more like a port than a drinking wine) unless it were somehow damaged in-transit. I've had in my temp-controlled walk-in since purchase.
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9/5/2011 - ticklenow1 wrote: 84 Points
Thick almost confected. A real fruit bomb without a lot of finesse. Dead by night 3.
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8/28/2011 - Motz wrote: 87 Points
Drank a bottle of this last year and just opened another one. It is a disjointed fruit bomb offering little complexity, a strange taste profile and almost no finish. The bottle from last year was better so it may be at or past peak. Incredibly dissappointing for what it purports to be.
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6/17/2011 - WDK wrote: 91 Points
Med body, ripe juicy red fruit with noticeable oak and heat. Tasty, but not particularly complex.
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5/29/2011 - davidandrose wrote:
Pop and pour. Last bottle wasn't a fluke, this wine is going downhill. While certainly drinkable, it is more of a desert wine today.
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4/29/2011 - wirelesswine wrote: 89 Points
Drink up! This is my last bottle, it's lacking any sort of structure but does have big, jammy, dark fruit flavors. I think this will improve, as it's already feeling a bit flabby, but for me it served well as a last bottle of the evening without having to go the dessert wine route.
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12/19/2010 - pkatz wrote: 88 Points
Lots of clean fruit blueberry and plum but little structure. Somewhat flabby and tiresome.
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9/11/2010 - vumansky wrote: 91 Points
Opened and poured... felt closed.... needs a good few hours in a decanter. Dark ruby red with some slight fading at the edge. Medum nose of cinammon, cooked sweet fruits, floral notes. Medium/full bodied with decent structure. Notes of blackberries, black plum, burnt fruit. Long finish.
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9/4/2010 - Patrick - winereviewer.com.au wrote: 95 Points
Nose of violets , cedar and dark cherry a generous palate with a saturation of ripe, rich dark fruits, spice and vanillian oak to finish with a lingering mouth filling array of fine grained tannins , plum and creamy oak
Review Link - www.winereviewer.com.au (drink by 2019)
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8/13/2010 - vumansky wrote: 93 Points
Opened for one hour (not decanted) before drinking with a moroccan dinner (Chermoula spiced tagine). Went spectacularly well with the Moroccan food. Dark ruby red, nearing purplish hue. Dark red stone fruit with a bit of pepper. Nice acid that worked well with the somewhat acidic food. Moderate tannins... do not believe more aging will better the wine. Should be drunk over next 2 years.... but open or decant for at least 2 hours. Excellent wine for a home cooked meal without much fanfare.
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8/7/2010 - davidandrose wrote: 85 Points
Decanted and rebottled based on tastings over the first hour. More like an over-ripe port than any wine, and totally unlike the other bottles of this I've had Rate 84 today. Will return to the recorked/gassed bottle tomorrow.
Day 2 - Better but still nothing I'd seek out. Rate 87 today. Went from port to a soft grenache-syrah blend, predominately fruit. Hope this was an off-bottle or that the wine has hit a dumb phase, otherwise I've got a lot of marinade base.
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7/18/2010 - wirelesswine wrote: 89 Points
Not as much of a fan this time around, lots of fruit but seeming overripe and somewhat cooked and almost oxidized. I don't think it was any of the above, just noticing some traits. Lots of dark jammy fruit, but where's the structure?
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6/26/2010 - joshwoodward wrote: 85 Points
Churchill's: Customer Appreciation Sale (?) (Maumee, OH): Fortified nose, raisiny, overripe. Just another Aussie Shiraz jam bomb. Too much everything.
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3/5/2010 - wirelesswine wrote: 92 Points
2 hr decant. Really dark jammy fruit on the nose and palate. Everything is well integrated though, and the alcohol is in check. Viscous mouthfeel with no detectable tannin - the fruit jam is the main act here.
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11/14/2009 - davidandrose wrote: 91 Points
Found a 1/2 bottle that had been set aside after opening three months ago. Not nearly the fruit forward shiraz at present, its still in very good form. Little alcohol on the nose, more fruit than tannin on the palate, light weight with a brief finish. Impressed how well this stayed together after opening!
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10/11/2009 - cmr wrote: 92 Points
Rich full bodied dark red fruits. This wine was tight, everything was together and balanced. The oak perfectly integrated. My only complaint was that it was one dimensional .. not changing at all throughout the evening but still just delicious.
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7/1/2009 - pdrago wrote: 88 Points
Decanted and approached almost immediately. I like the nose of roasted fruit and sweet pork sausage, the body and color was not what I expected and the wine seemed almost as disjointed. Maybe we rushed it, maybe it was stored really poorly, but overall this left me underwhelmed. After reading reviews on here and online I expected it to be a bit more over the top and massive. It began to evolved a bit more as time passed but it became more fruit forward and more 1 dimensional (although the graphite on the finish attempted to add something but it ended up tasting more awkward than integrated). The acidity on this wine is like a punch in the face and so the balance is somewhat off too. I usually like it to counter the creaminess of the body but everything hits you at once. I may try it again and let it breathe for a bit longer since I seem to be the only one who is not impressed.
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6/2/2009 - redderthanred wrote:
Decanted for about an hour.
Interesting shiraz blend...dense mouthfeel, smoky, chewy goodness...and for $30 you can't beat it!
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6/1/2009 - skm95t wrote: 92 Points
Drank with grilled rib-eye, decanted for 30 minutes before drinking then drank over 2-3 hours. Very dark and thick, very full bodied mouthfeel. Smoky, meaty, tobacco, and dense fruit (almost portish), improved over the 3 hours, very much a crowd pleaser
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1/31/2009 - PBM wrote:
Great Friday night wine. Dense color that you expect in an Aussie shiraz; immediate impression of chocolate on the nose. Decanted far too briefly but could swear I smelled and tasted steak when I went back to it. This was BEFORE I had started the steaks in the iron skillet. This is just a chewy, meaty, not too fruity wine that you can't stop drinking. It's a big wine; not particularly complex but despite modest tannins I think it's got some years in it. I've got five more bottles and am determined not to touch another for at least a year - or decant for several hours if I do. At $30 it's an excellent value.
(Also, just read TN's from 2008 from "davidandrose" and basically have to echo what's there.)
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9/13/2008 - davidandrose wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 3 hours, then rebottled and consumed the following day. In excellent condition, this was just too tight and tannic to really be approachable day 1; fortunately we were tired and didn't get to the bottle that night. Day 2 found this in fine form, nice acids, great mouthcoating and feel, lush fruits that coat the tongue but don't overwhelm. Glad to have a case of this. Opening less than 6-10 hours in advance would be a waste of a bottle at this point.
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3/1/2008 - davidandrose wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 3.5 hours, consumed over another 3.5 hours. Graphite remains a strong component throughout the evening, but an impressively smooth blend. Lots of spice, minerality, pepper and dark fruit. This could be spectacular in a few more years. Wanted to save some to try the next night, but we couldn't keep ourselves from draining the bottle.
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