Took to church. Second bottle of 3. This was a hot jammy mess. Green, alchohol and harsher tannins than the first (which was no wilting flower either.) It did get better after an hour of air, or maybe we just got drunker. Either way not my thing.
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Still drinking well even though it is supposedly past its window. A big jammy wine. Good if you like the style and I do when it is paired with my wife's spicy meatloaf. Definitely not for sipping or the faint of heart.
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Big dark flavorful fruit bomb. Open for business. The fruit hides the 16.5% alcohol content pretty well. Definitely has potential for further growth. Medium to long finish. Last bottle was opened a couple years ago, and this is definitely it's best showing yet. Was so impressed, I back filled 4 more in my cellar.
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Second best Aussie Shiraz I have ever had. Got this at auction but have seen it in a couple wine store I have seen in the SE US so this one is now on my try to by list. Good big body, nice balance, fruit is still fresh and the alcohol is unseen. It has a full mouth and adequate acid, and then it grows a bit and finishes nice but not spectacularly with a subtle, full, smooth, fruit finish. Doubt I can find the '04 again but will surely buy newer vintages for a reasonable price ($30ish or under)
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Wow! This has really blossomed since our last bottle two years ago. Then it was complex but a little overpowering, almost as big as a Vintage Port. It is still a big wine now but even more complex and it has mellowed considerably. Great nose of black fruit, cedar and a wonderful spice melange. Same on the palate with a rich peppery finish. Definitely worth the wait.
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Glad I hung on to these for a long time before trying the first bottle. It was pure beauty after 15 minutes in the glass. The deep ripe fruit was just as fresh as the day it was picked. Everyone enjoyed this wine a lot. Glad I have three more bottles
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Whilst still holding well (due to its screw cap?) this is one huge extracted confabulation of spicy black raspberries, blueberries along with a little black cherry jam and black liquorice. Can't say it's integrated all that well over the years, yet it still smells good, has a big plush mid palate with enough acidity to carry on to a finish. Not the 96 pointer Parker wrote up some time ago, it still gives some gussied up pleasure with a little after burn from the 16.5 alcohol.
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Typifies a decent modern down-under Shiraz with highly extracted black fruit, enjoyable finish with not much in the way of depth of character. Definitely more enjoyable than the alcoholic Knotts Berry Farm in a bottle variety that I tend to detest. While it lacks the structure & complexity of my favorite California Petites it was still enjoyable and worthy of 90 (mine) 91 (wife's) score - perhaps due to its excellent paring with grilled rib-eyes & veggies.
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Deep purple color, black licorice on the nose and roasted coffee, wet tobacco, cherry cola and ripe, black fruit in a flavor profile that wraps your mouth in a succulent fruit bomb explosion with a velvety finish. This is not our favorite varietal, but it does exceedingly well what it's supposed to do as a humongous Aussie shiraz and it paired well with grilled rosemary and garlic lamb chops and cream cheese, caramelized onion mashed potatoes.
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Tasted immediately after opening. Almost black. My note of nearly a year ago still applies "Ripe black fruit and licorice nose. Blackberry, blueberry and licorice flavor with a little pepper in the long finish. Fresh and delicious. Power rather than finesse." The only difference in the taste this time around is a touch of salinity in the finish. The last bottle overpowered a grilled steak. Tonight it matched well with a deluxe pizza. I know, it's a little pricey for a pizza wine but it works.
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deep purple to the rim, viscous, and very velvety on the palate. This is a big wine, classic shiraz, I only had a couple of glass, with no decanting, and right after opening. I will try more tonight to see how it ages in bottle.
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Tasted after a 1 1/2 hour decant. Ripe black fruit and licorice nose. Blackberry, blueberry and licorice flavor with a little pepper in the long finish. Fresh and delicious. Power rather than finesse. This is a big wine that needs to be matched with a very rich dish or sipped after dinner like a Vintage Port. It overwhelmed the grilled steaks we matched it with tonight.
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Slow-O 2 hrs. In fairness, this never really had a chance. The reason being that it was paired against a 2003 Charvin Chateauneuf du Pape, the latter completely demolishing this wine, pointing out all the flaws and shortcomings. This bottle was perfectly stored at 55F since release, the owner having high hopes, but even he could muster nothing to say in defense of this sub-mediocre mess of a wine. No overt heat, tannins well integrated at this point. Just plain silly, unless you're one that enjoys raspberry liqueur, pruney milk chocolate, cigar ash and a clipped finish, that is. As a cocktail wine, I'm sure many would find it exactly what they're looking for. As a $50+ food wine, it's rubbish.
My impressions of this wine continue to be very positive over the years. It is big, but it has backbone, great fruit, interesting secondary character and a nice mouthfeel. Still seems young but I don't know that holding will pay off much.
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This wine is just amazing. concentrated black and blue fruit power this beast,along with pepper and some oaky accents. Very consistent with other bottles I have previously enjoyed. The bottle took about an hour in the decanter to completely open up, but as with most good reds, kept developing subtle and pleasant changes throughout the evening. Seemed better than the 97 Ornellaia we had the previous night. That says a lot.
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What the hell is this? It's like drinking a Sumo wrestler. Fat, creamy, pruney, peppery blackberry, massive extract, unforgiving bruiser of a wine. Absolutely lacking structure, complexity, & nuance. While enjoyable as a curiosity, this will meet a gruesome end once the fruit starts to mellow. An insult to the winemaking tradition; a hedonistic parkerized McGriddler of a wine and I'm not even a member of the antiflavor elite! $50, 79 points or something. Hard to rate as it has its merits but is certainly not what I would call a 'good' wine.
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I don't have all the descriptive verbage but this is an excellent big drinking Shiraz. There is such a huge disparity when you drink wine with friends around a meal rather than with a group of wine drinkers examining wines in a line up. Australian High Alcohol 16+ with dense blue fruits. WOW. Came in that slick three box set. Now I can't drink the second one because I wouldl only have one left:)
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Notes from rather foggy memory- drank july '08 opened LATE, like late at night, 3 a.m.? - thick, huge blueberry pie. That's what i remember most, massive Blueberry. Great feel, creamy. Can't really remember heat on the nose or in the mouth. Aussie for sure. Can't say mush else. It was great. Left it out in the bottle for a day uncorked, better with more air, day two, still amazing. Comparing it to other aussie shiraz I'd say 96+, prolly won't open other bottle for a couple years...
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Decanted for 9 hours. Purple/black in color. No heat at all from this 16.5% wine. Deep brooding nose of cedar, licorice and blackberry which was glorious. To be honest, the flavors did not reach the heights of the nose until the wine had been open for 10 hours. It is amazing how much air time this wine needs. At first, the palate only showed some dark berries along with smooth tannins. At the 10 hour mark, the mouth was AWESOME just like the nose, with wonderful mouth-filling flavors of blackberries and blueberries. A huge but completely balanced wine. I was craving more when we finished the bottle.
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2nd bottled to date and this is my favorite Auzzie Shiraz, better than carnival of love and block 6. Blueberries and black raspberries galore. This is a major fruit forward wine with a high alcohol content, yet while drinking this, you don't notice any overwhelming heat, though spices and white pepper. This was heavy, but like a fine liquer made for sipping. I even found this better than the penfolds grange I enjyed earlier this year. A+
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I've had this a few times and I cannot put my finger on what is going on. The nose is huge and interesting. This is a full-flavored wine that manages to be complex and in my amateur opinion achieves balance. This wine is certainly not for everybody.
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Minty and full force on the nose. Extracted, rich, almost savory with its full bore power. Massive and unforgiving. This sucker is going to take no prisoners.
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This wine was drunk while descending Mt Rainer and tasted like a gift from the Gods, I tasted a toasty blueberry liquer, and like the bottle shows, it's magical in the power of envigorating a worn out climber. Could compete with my favorite Aus wines, like Amery Kay Brothers Block 6, from 2004 or 2005. High alcohol, definitely not for those afraid of some heat.
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Staff Favorites/Sale Wines (Farpointe Cellar): The nose was full of burnt forest, with some licorice and blueberry liqueur. The palate had blackberry and cedar, and finished with some licorice and earth.
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7/11/2021 - Barnaby33 wrote:
Took to church. Second bottle of 3. This was a hot jammy mess. Green, alchohol and harsher tannins than the first (which was no wilting flower either.) It did get better after an hour of air, or maybe we just got drunker. Either way not my thing.
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10/5/2020 - Charlou1951 wrote:
Cc
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3/27/2020 - tantotinto wrote: 92 Points
Still drinking well even though it is supposedly past its window. A big jammy wine. Good if you like the style and I do when it is paired with my wife's spicy meatloaf. Definitely not for sipping or the faint of heart.
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2/10/2018 - Spar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very full bodied with cherry, fig and leather flavors. Excellent. At or near peak.
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12/31/2017 - pc2006mg wrote: 94 Points
Big extracted Shiraz. I loved it and my wife not so much. Definitely a sipper......
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11/18/2016 - Ajparent Likes this wine: 94 Points
Big dark flavorful fruit bomb. Open for business. The fruit hides the 16.5% alcohol content pretty well. Definitely has potential for further growth. Medium to long finish. Last bottle was opened a couple years ago, and this is definitely it's best showing yet. Was so impressed, I back filled 4 more in my cellar.
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4/26/2016 - wtianseter wrote: 92 Points
Second best Aussie Shiraz I have ever had. Got this at auction but have seen it in a couple wine store I have seen in the SE US so this one is now on my try to by list. Good big body, nice balance, fruit is still fresh and the alcohol is unseen. It has a full mouth and adequate acid, and then it grows a bit and finishes nice but not spectacularly with a subtle, full, smooth, fruit finish. Doubt I can find the '04 again but will surely buy newer vintages for a reasonable price ($30ish or under)
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12/30/2015 - tantotinto wrote: 94 Points
Wow! This has really blossomed since our last bottle two years ago. Then it was complex but a little overpowering, almost as big as a Vintage Port. It is still a big wine now but even more complex and it has mellowed considerably. Great nose of black fruit, cedar and a wonderful spice melange. Same on the palate with a rich peppery finish. Definitely worth the wait.
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8/27/2015 - Wayne Richmon wrote: 94 Points
Glad I hung on to these for a long time before trying the first bottle. It was pure beauty after 15 minutes in the glass. The deep ripe fruit was just as fresh as the day it was picked. Everyone enjoyed this wine a lot. Glad I have three more bottles
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8/18/2015 - MoreWinePlease Likes this wine: 91 Points
Whilst still holding well (due to its screw cap?) this is one huge extracted confabulation of spicy black raspberries, blueberries along with a little black cherry jam and black liquorice. Can't say it's integrated all that well over the years, yet it still smells good, has a big plush mid palate with enough acidity to carry on to a finish. Not the 96 pointer Parker wrote up some time ago, it still gives some gussied up pleasure with a little after burn from the 16.5 alcohol.
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9/20/2014 - IAmVintage wrote: 91 Points
Ok, wife's score wins out this time. :-p
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5/18/2014 - IAmVintage wrote: 90 Points
Typifies a decent modern down-under Shiraz with highly extracted black fruit, enjoyable finish with not much in the way of depth of character. Definitely more enjoyable than the alcoholic Knotts Berry Farm in a bottle variety that I tend to detest. While it lacks the structure & complexity of my favorite California Petites it was still enjoyable and worthy of 90 (mine) 91 (wife's) score - perhaps due to its excellent paring with grilled rib-eyes & veggies.
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4/20/2014 - Quaffing in Colorado Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep purple color, black licorice on the nose and roasted coffee, wet tobacco, cherry cola and ripe, black fruit in a flavor profile that wraps your mouth in a succulent fruit bomb explosion with a velvety finish. This is not our favorite varietal, but it does exceedingly well what it's supposed to do as a humongous Aussie shiraz and it paired well with grilled rosemary and garlic lamb chops and cream cheese, caramelized onion mashed potatoes.
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11/10/2013 - tantotinto wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with previous note.
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8/18/2013 - tantotinto wrote: 92 Points
Tasted immediately after opening. Almost black. My note of nearly a year ago still applies "Ripe black fruit and licorice nose. Blackberry, blueberry and licorice flavor with a little pepper in the long finish. Fresh and delicious. Power rather than finesse." The only difference in the taste this time around is a touch of salinity in the finish. The last bottle overpowered a grilled steak. Tonight it matched well with a deluxe pizza. I know, it's a little pricey for a pizza wine but it works.
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2/10/2013 - G-Man555 Likes this wine: 94 Points
deep purple to the rim, viscous, and very velvety on the palate. This is a big wine, classic shiraz, I only had a couple of glass, with no decanting, and right after opening. I will try more tonight to see how it ages in bottle.
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11/7/2012 - tantotinto wrote: 92 Points
Tasted after a 1 1/2 hour decant. Ripe black fruit and licorice nose. Blackberry, blueberry and licorice flavor with a little pepper in the long finish. Fresh and delicious. Power rather than finesse. This is a big wine that needs to be matched with a very rich dish or sipped after dinner like a Vintage Port. It overwhelmed the grilled steaks we matched it with tonight.
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10/12/2012 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Slow-O 2 hrs. In fairness, this never really had a chance. The reason being that it was paired against a 2003 Charvin Chateauneuf du Pape, the latter completely demolishing this wine, pointing out all the flaws and shortcomings. This bottle was perfectly stored at 55F since release, the owner having high hopes, but even he could muster nothing to say in defense of this sub-mediocre mess of a wine. No overt heat, tannins well integrated at this point. Just plain silly, unless you're one that enjoys raspberry liqueur, pruney milk chocolate, cigar ash and a clipped finish, that is. As a cocktail wine, I'm sure many would find it exactly what they're looking for. As a $50+ food wine, it's rubbish.
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1/17/2012 - MoreWinePlease wrote: 90 Points
Not as tasty as I had a year ago. Maybe a bottle variation or I just PnP'd and didn't allow it to get its wind.
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1/1/2012 - pc2006mg wrote: 94 Points
Massive. Needs plenty of air!
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11/23/2011 - gmbdds wrote: 92 Points
My impressions of this wine continue to be very positive over the years. It is big, but it has backbone, great fruit, interesting secondary character and a nice mouthfeel. Still seems young but I don't know that holding will pay off much.
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6/10/2011 - Champagneinhand wrote: 95 Points
This wine is just amazing. concentrated black and blue fruit power this beast,along with pepper and some oaky accents. Very consistent with other bottles I have previously enjoyed. The bottle took about an hour in the decanter to completely open up, but as with most good reds, kept developing subtle and pleasant changes throughout the evening. Seemed better than the 97 Ornellaia we had the previous night. That says a lot.
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4/1/2010 - andtheodor wrote: 79 Points
What the hell is this? It's like drinking a Sumo wrestler. Fat, creamy, pruney, peppery blackberry, massive extract, unforgiving bruiser of a wine. Absolutely lacking structure, complexity, & nuance. While enjoyable as a curiosity, this will meet a gruesome end once the fruit starts to mellow. An insult to the winemaking tradition; a hedonistic parkerized McGriddler of a wine and I'm not even a member of the antiflavor elite! $50, 79 points or something. Hard to rate as it has its merits but is certainly not what I would call a 'good' wine.
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3/6/2010 - Badgerwino wrote:
I don't have all the descriptive verbage but this is an excellent big drinking Shiraz. There is such a huge disparity when you drink wine with friends around a meal rather than with a group of wine drinkers examining wines in a line up. Australian High Alcohol 16+ with dense blue fruits. WOW. Came in that slick three box set. Now I can't drink the second one because I wouldl only have one left:)
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12/14/2009 - ramsayone wrote:
Notes from rather foggy memory- drank july '08
opened LATE, like late at night, 3 a.m.?
- thick, huge blueberry pie. That's what i remember most, massive Blueberry. Great feel, creamy. Can't really remember heat on the nose or in the mouth. Aussie for sure. Can't say mush else. It was great. Left it out in the bottle for a day uncorked, better with more air, day two, still amazing. Comparing it to other aussie shiraz I'd say 96+, prolly won't open other bottle for a couple years...
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10/25/2009 - CRAUBER4242 wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for 9 hours. Purple/black in color. No heat at all from this 16.5% wine. Deep brooding nose of cedar, licorice and blackberry which was glorious. To be honest, the flavors did not reach the heights of the nose until the wine had been open for 10 hours. It is amazing how much air time this wine needs. At first, the palate only showed some dark berries along with smooth tannins. At the 10 hour mark, the mouth was AWESOME just like the nose, with wonderful mouth-filling flavors of blackberries and blueberries. A huge but completely balanced wine. I was craving more when we finished the bottle.
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4/5/2009 - Champagneinhand wrote: 96 Points
2nd bottled to date and this is my favorite Auzzie Shiraz, better than carnival of love and block 6. Blueberries and black raspberries galore. This is a major fruit forward wine with a high alcohol content, yet while drinking this, you don't notice any overwhelming heat, though spices and white pepper. This was heavy, but like a fine liquer made for sipping. I even found this better than the penfolds grange I enjyed earlier this year. A+
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11/28/2008 - gmbdds wrote: 92 Points
I've had this a few times and I cannot put my finger on what is going on. The nose is huge and interesting. This is a full-flavored wine that manages to be complex and in my amateur opinion achieves balance. This wine is certainly not for everybody.
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9/11/2008 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Minty and full force on the nose. Extracted, rich, almost savory with its full bore power. Massive and unforgiving. This sucker is going to take no prisoners.
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7/20/2008 - Champagneinhand wrote: 94 Points
This wine was drunk while descending Mt Rainer and tasted like a gift from the Gods, I tasted a toasty blueberry liquer, and like the bottle shows, it's magical in the power of envigorating a worn out climber. Could compete with my favorite Aus wines, like Amery Kay Brothers Block 6, from 2004 or 2005. High alcohol, definitely not for those afraid of some heat.
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5/31/2008 - mmurry wrote: 92 Points
Staff Favorites/Sale Wines (Farpointe Cellar): The nose was full of burnt forest, with some licorice and blueberry liqueur. The palate had blackberry and cedar, and finished with some licorice and earth.
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