Very interesting wine, big black dark fruit, not hot at all. Wine evolved significantly over a three hour dinner. And not sure for the better.
Upon opening very impressive, deliciously forward with dark fruit but not in an overpowering way. Actually restrained and sophisticated And not hot at all especially considering the 16.3% alcohol. The fruit was very enjoyable, a bit sweet but again not overpowering in any way. As the evening went on, the wine quieted down into an enjoyable but not especially memorable wine, did not have any telltale marks of a Shiraz by the time we were done.
I don’t understand the scores in initially got that said it was a nice one. This came as part of a three pack, two more to go. I think if you have any, probably time to drink up.
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Mature with no sign that further aging is going to improve this Shiraz. Black fruit on the nose and palate finishing with a bit of spice and a hint of alcohol but not overbearing. Pretty smooth overall but the pricing was near the top of the Aussie craze level. Very full bodied and still enjoyable.
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Interesting wine, it's completely ready to drink now, but if you don't like Raisin juice with some salt sprinkled in, you won't like this wine at all. I find it easy to drink and hides the alcohol very well at this age, but it's not overly complex and will not improve further.
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This is the first time I've tasted this in almost 6 years and I have to say that my opinion isn't as negative as it was back then. This is a typical, very nice Barossa Valley Shiraz with reasonable depth and complexity, but it's priced way, way beyond what it's worth.
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This bottle was decanted for approximately 60 minutes. I found it to be quite heavy on the alcohol levels. Lots of spices including pepper to the nose and in the glass as well. Still to "hot" on my palate for my liking. I will wait a few more years before trying my remaining bottles.
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This was opened and then decanted for about 2 hours. Vibrant dark ruby core with a bold, bright rim. Tons of chocolate, cola and white licorice spice jump out of the glass, followed by imense dark cherry and blackberry, all supported by lighter floral notes with hints of oak and vanilla. The spices continue on the palate, with the bold, rich fruit playing center stage. There is great acidity, which keeps the dense fruit impressively in balance. Dense and mouthfilling, the finish lingers for a long time with bit nutmeg and cinnamon spices. This is a spectacular wine.
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Dark ink in the glass, should have decated it a bit longer, but i was shocked at the elegance of this wine. i was expecting a big friut bomb, and found this to have a beautiful balance. it definately had friut to it, but it wasnt overpowering. it continued to open up as it sat in the glass. i dont know if it was worth the $250, but i am looking forward to opening the next bottle!
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Dark fruit, extraction, heavy, heavy. It has acidity but it may be added. There is a serious depth here but when put next to elegant wines at a tasting, it seemed pretty clunky.
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Just a beautiful syrah. I did not have time to decant long enough, got better and better, drank over an hour. It will age beautifully. Not as silky as a Grange, this has its own style which I love.
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3-20-10 Well, I am of the opinion that I was seriously ripped off with this wine. First, I doubt that this will be exceptionally long lived, it is very fruit forward and doesn't seem to have a whole lot of structure. It is fairly well balanced and full bodied with cassis, caramel, tar, violet and pepper flavors. The finish is abit clipped. The wine is enjoyable in a "fruit bomb" sort of way but is in no way, shape or form a $219 bottle of wine. When I bought this wine, Grange was sellng for a comparable price and there is absolutley no comparison between those wines. This wine did improve with several hours of air and we'll have to see what the future holds for this wine, but for now I'm afraid that I have to consider this a "live and learn" wine purchase.
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Fantastic wine. Dark dark dark. Opened for about an hour before drinking. Nice nose, only a little heat from the alcohol on it. Smelled likes dark fruits and dark chocolate with a bit of mint. Taste: layers of dark chocolate, cream, black cherries and heat. The heat was NOT overpowering, but certainly noticeable. Flavors continued for 45 seconds or so. I think it helped to have it come out of the cellar (55 degrees) and warm up just slightly. Served "warm" (75 degrees, say) and the heat starts to come out more. Paired very well with leg of lame and risotto. Expensive no doubt, but I don't regret the purchase in any way.
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Unique bottle design. Heavy ink in the glass. Massive nose of dark fruit, cocoa, herbs and peppermint. Massive, complex layers of dark fruit, coffee, herbs, oak and smoke. Massive, lush, smokey and jammy finish. Very noticeable heat. Intriguing wine. Though some disjointment allows flabbiness, preventing it from being truly superb.
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F.U. TRIP REPORT hope a lot of you are on here today. i had high hopes for this wine (the 2004 F.U. R wines shiraz), but i was a bit skeptical going into it tbh. anyway it was dreadful. 75 pts max. the alcohol was completely out of control, way worse than you could even imagine, thus ruining the wine. there is some fruit under alcohol, but the alcohol was so prevalent it was like running alcohol. that said, my friends enjoyed it and i am more sensitive to hot wines than most people (went to a huge martinelli dinner one time and found most of them to be way too hot to like). nevertheless ive had huge heat/fruit bombs in the past and liked them if there is some balance or some sort of outstanding fruit, this however did not deliver. over the 3 horus of dinner the alcohol did not blow off, it only got worse. at least the whole night wasnt lost, we had a 07 saxum james berry vineyard gsm that was perhaps the best wine ive ever had (97+) and held it's 15.8% just fine...
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Absolutely delicious, reminds me of a Two Hands Bella's Garden after 4 cycle of steroids. Extremely concentrated and paints my palate with mouth watering black raspberry, licorice, spice, lead, & oak. Pairing perfect with my anniversary and Syracuse basketball.
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Absolutely delicious, reminds me of a Two Hands Bella's Garden after 4 cycle of steroids. Extremely concentrated and paints my palate with mouth watering black raspberry, licorice, spice, lead, & oak. Pairing perfect with my anniversary and Syracuse basketball.
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7/17/2022 - afu wrote: 94 Points
Very interesting wine, big black dark fruit, not hot at all. Wine evolved significantly over a three hour dinner. And not sure for the better.
Upon opening very impressive, deliciously forward with dark fruit but not in an overpowering way. Actually restrained and sophisticated And not hot at all especially considering the 16.3% alcohol. The fruit was very enjoyable, a bit sweet but again not overpowering in any way. As the evening went on, the wine quieted down into an enjoyable but not especially memorable wine, did not have any telltale marks of a Shiraz by the time we were done.
I don’t understand the scores in initially got that said it was a nice one. This came as part of a three pack, two more to go. I think if you have any, probably time to drink up.
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12/6/2021 - popasq Likes this wine: 97 Points
This wine was exceptional, decanted for nearly 5 hours which clearly made a huge difference.
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2/10/2020 - D.Callahan Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mature with no sign that further aging is going to improve this Shiraz. Black fruit on the nose and palate finishing with a bit of spice and a hint of alcohol but not overbearing. Pretty smooth overall but the pricing was near the top of the Aussie craze level. Very full bodied and still enjoyable.
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3/4/2018 - peterk wrote: 91 Points
Very good, but I expected more. I agree with MTOLERICO - alcohol is masked, but this wine isn't going anywhere
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2/6/2017 - lucaslabelle wrote: 94 Points
Not as good as my last bottle. Delicious but my tastes have clearly moved from Australia to other regions.
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5/14/2016 - pakabear wrote: 91 Points
Interesting wine, it's completely ready to drink now, but if you don't like Raisin juice with some salt sprinkled in, you won't like this wine at all. I find it easy to drink and hides the alcohol very well at this age, but it's not overly complex and will not improve further.
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12/22/2015 - mmcdds wrote: 88 Points
This is the first time I've tasted this in almost 6 years and I have to say that my opinion isn't as negative as it was back then. This is a typical, very nice Barossa Valley Shiraz with reasonable depth and complexity, but it's priced way, way beyond what it's worth.
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2/23/2012 - T&K cellar wrote: 100 Points
Absolutely superb
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11/4/2011 - Rosengoo wrote: 88 Points
This bottle was decanted for approximately 60 minutes. I found it to be quite heavy on the alcohol levels. Lots of spices including pepper to the nose and in the glass as well. Still to "hot" on my palate for my liking. I will wait a few more years before trying my remaining bottles.
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5/21/2011 - lucaslabelle wrote: 99 Points
This was opened and then decanted for about 2 hours. Vibrant dark ruby core with a bold, bright rim. Tons of chocolate, cola and white licorice spice jump out of the glass, followed by imense dark cherry and blackberry, all supported by lighter floral notes with hints of oak and vanilla. The spices continue on the palate, with the bold, rich fruit playing center stage. There is great acidity, which keeps the dense fruit impressively in balance. Dense and mouthfilling, the finish lingers for a long time with bit nutmeg and cinnamon spices. This is a spectacular wine.
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1/15/2011 - 2glassesdown wrote: 93 Points
Dark ink in the glass, should have decated it a bit longer, but i was shocked at the elegance of this wine. i was expecting a big friut bomb, and found this to have a beautiful balance. it definately had friut to it, but it wasnt overpowering. it continued to open up as it sat in the glass. i dont know if it was worth the $250, but i am looking forward to opening the next bottle!
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11/26/2010 - Mig22 wrote: 87 Points
Dark fruit, extraction, heavy, heavy. It has acidity but it may be added. There is a serious depth here but when put next to elegant wines at a tasting, it seemed pretty clunky.
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11/20/2010 - popasq wrote: 96 Points
Just a beautiful syrah. I did not have time to decant long enough, got better and better, drank over an hour. It will age beautifully. Not as silky as a Grange, this has its own style which I love.
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6/29/2010 - mmcdds wrote: 80 Points
3-20-10 Well, I am of the opinion that I was seriously ripped off with this wine. First, I doubt that this will be exceptionally long lived, it is very fruit forward and doesn't seem to have a whole lot of structure. It is fairly well balanced and full bodied with cassis, caramel, tar, violet and pepper flavors. The finish is abit clipped. The wine is enjoyable in a "fruit bomb" sort of way but is in no way, shape or form a $219 bottle of wine. When I bought this wine, Grange was sellng for a comparable price and there is absolutley no comparison between those wines. This wine did improve with several hours of air and we'll have to see what the future holds for this wine, but for now I'm afraid that I have to consider this a "live and learn" wine purchase.
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5/2/2010 - TheWinedown wrote: 96 Points
Fantastic wine. Dark dark dark. Opened for about an hour before drinking. Nice nose, only a little heat from the alcohol on it. Smelled likes dark fruits and dark chocolate with a bit of mint. Taste: layers of dark chocolate, cream, black cherries and heat. The heat was NOT overpowering, but certainly noticeable. Flavors continued for 45 seconds or so. I think it helped to have it come out of the cellar (55 degrees) and warm up just slightly. Served "warm" (75 degrees, say) and the heat starts to come out more. Paired very well with leg of lame and risotto. Expensive no doubt, but I don't regret the purchase in any way.
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2/22/2010 - christophee Likes this wine: 89 Points
Unique bottle design. Heavy ink in the glass. Massive nose of dark fruit, cocoa, herbs and peppermint. Massive, complex layers of dark fruit, coffee, herbs, oak and smoke. Massive, lush, smokey and jammy finish. Very noticeable heat. Intriguing wine. Though some disjointment allows flabbiness, preventing it from being truly superb.
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2/22/2010 - mike l. wrote: 75 Points
F.U. TRIP REPORT hope a lot of you are on here today. i had high hopes for this wine (the 2004 F.U. R wines shiraz), but i was a bit skeptical going into it tbh. anyway it was dreadful. 75 pts max. the alcohol was completely out of control, way worse than you could even imagine, thus ruining the wine. there is some fruit under alcohol, but the alcohol was so prevalent it was like running alcohol. that said, my friends enjoyed it and i am more sensitive to hot wines than most people (went to a huge martinelli dinner one time and found most of them to be way too hot to like). nevertheless ive had huge heat/fruit bombs in the past and liked them if there is some balance or some sort of outstanding fruit, this however did not deliver. over the 3 horus of dinner the alcohol did not blow off, it only got worse. at least the whole night wasnt lost, we had a 07 saxum james berry vineyard gsm that was perhaps the best wine ive ever had (97+) and held it's 15.8% just fine...
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2/10/2010 - Jaybird76 wrote: 97 Points
Absolutely delicious, reminds me of a Two Hands Bella's Garden after 4 cycle of steroids. Extremely concentrated and paints my palate with mouth watering black raspberry, licorice, spice, lead, & oak. Pairing perfect with my anniversary and Syracuse basketball.
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2/10/2010 - Jaybird76 wrote:
Absolutely delicious, reminds me of a Two Hands Bella's Garden after 4 cycle of steroids. Extremely concentrated and paints my palate with mouth watering black raspberry, licorice, spice, lead, & oak. Pairing perfect with my anniversary and Syracuse basketball.
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