The wine looks purple colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like plum . It tastes like intensity ripe plum, forest floor, espresso with pepper, oak and black pepper. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine is well balance . The wine has low acidity.
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really enjoyed this bottle - nice nose, lipsmacking taste, long finish - good balance with prominent tannins and should be good for another year or two
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Wine was full and round early on but faded as the night wore on. Fruit was present throughout but the finish was a little short. Definitely a nice wine that drank above it's pedigree though.
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Sweet red fruit, medium body not too long, very clean, fresh fruit flavors, perfectly balanced acidity. Perfect with seared mint lamb chops with garlicky couscous
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Balanced and appealing, albeit nothing that makes it stand out. Good depth of fruit, acid and soft tannins in support, may well improve over the next 2-5 years, but with (presumably intentionally) no rough edges, it's certainly easy to drink now. For what you pay for it, this does overdeliver.
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Who'd have thought? Not big or complex by any measure but perfectly acceptable drinking. Secondary chocolate showing on both nose and palate. Still a little tannin, the finish is well balanced. Surprised on the upside.
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First of the three blind shirazes.. and 100% guessed correctly. This was served in good company and was clearly the weaker of the wines. Not bad by any means, just not as good. Straightforward flavours, little complexity; quite pleasing.
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Dark red, approaching blood-red. Black fruit on the nose mixed with black pepper and lots of alcohol. A bit sweetish on the front, immediately vegetal and a bit bitter thereafter, with a peppery finish. Not bad for an everyday BBQ wine.
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Wonderful expression of Aussie Shiraz. Full bodied and rich, yet also balanced with tasty notes of ripe plum, black cherries, and aided by additional flavors of smoke and tar. Definitely better than your average fruit bomb out of Australia, especially at this price point. Would highly recommend.
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Very dark. Initially a little rough and peppery, but definitely improves with time. By day 3, it was very enjoyable. Lots of plum and blackberry, with nice length and complexity. 89. 2/3/10
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Popped & poured. No discernable nose from the bottle; odd. Not corked but past its peak for sure. Some tannic grip but very little flavor. Light & summery, with some eucalyptus and a hint of pencil. Definitely American oak. No discernable finish, either. Does not improve with air. Takes me back to college, though. If you have any, drink it now, but go ahead and drink something else first.
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Video review at http://drinknectar.com/2010/02/08/episode-30-australian-wine-not-the-kangaroo/
The Stuff: 100% reserve block Shiraz; 18 months in oak; 14.3% ABV The Swirl: Dark plum inkiness with mild jewel tones toward the edges The Sniff: Underwhelming nose with hints of blackberry and/or plum, moderate sprigs of clove and spice The Sip: Grape candy licorice on the front end with green twig component on the back end. The wine still feels young and could/should be cellared for a few more years. The Score: At $12 this is a pleasant Shiraz offering that scores a low 3.
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Very nice. Deep purple color with a garnet rim. Tight nose, just a little dark fruit coming through. Deep dark berries with light spice on the medium-full bodied palate. Good acidity and nice tannins. Smooth finish.Very good value. Perfect for anytime drinking.
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Robe de couleur: Rouge foncé, Bouquet présent; Astringence faible; Arômes en bouche: Petit Fruit noir confit, épice, beurre, Bon accord met et vin, bonne longueur, un peu trop amere
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Just had this with my first "pulled pork" BBQ. It was able to stand up to the strong spicing of the wood smoke recipe we used. Very good value for the $.
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The 2004 reserve had a dark purple core with no noticeable lightening at the rim. After 3 hours of decanting, the wine showed aromas of plum, blackcurrant, cedar wood and slight spiciness. On the palate, the wine was full-bodied, nicely balanced with fresh acidity and sweet tannin. Unfortunately, the finish was rather short. I think that the wine is now ready and would drink well for 5 years.
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Good nose of raspberry and some spice, mouth feel is good a little hot, palate reveals solid fruit and a sweet tart like taste with some spice aftertaste. For the price this is always a good buy
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6/23/2020 - johnny wine Likes this wine: 88 Points
The wine looks purple colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like plum . It tastes like intensity ripe plum, forest floor, espresso with pepper, oak and black pepper. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine is well balance . The wine has low acidity.
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4/7/2016 - RobertVitello wrote: 89 Points
Very nice. Soft, though prominent, tannins and an abundance of fruit.
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1/22/2014 - Carniolan Likes this wine: 91 Points
really enjoyed this bottle - nice nose, lipsmacking taste, long finish - good balance with prominent tannins and should be good for another year or two
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9/13/2013 - jayrod wrote: 88 Points
Consistent with my last notes.
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7/20/2013 - jayrod Likes this wine: 89 Points
Consistent with prior notes except that this bottle lasted the evening, hence the higher score.
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6/30/2013 - jayrod wrote: 87 Points
Wine was full and round early on but faded as the night wore on. Fruit was present throughout but the finish was a little short. Definitely a nice wine that drank above it's pedigree though.
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5/3/2013 - Zoomin Z Likes this wine: 90 Points
Sweet red fruit, medium body not too long, very clean, fresh fruit flavors, perfectly balanced acidity. Perfect with seared mint lamb chops with garlicky couscous
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10/26/2012 - Carniolan wrote: 84 Points
dark red; nose of violets, blackberry, faint earth; strong tannins, good acidity, and an unpleasant sweetness
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7/3/2012 - kmharri wrote:
- Garnet color with a full body. Fleshy texture with a medium finish.
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6/4/2012 - Ian S wrote:
Balanced and appealing, albeit nothing that makes it stand out. Good depth of fruit, acid and soft tannins in support, may well improve over the next 2-5 years, but with (presumably intentionally) no rough edges, it's certainly easy to drink now. For what you pay for it, this does overdeliver.
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2/11/2012 - safetyengineer wrote: 84 Points
Good wine, not exceptional
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9/22/2011 - danielk168 wrote: 85 Points
Good if a bit too simple, ready now, lots of fruit and medium bodied, drank well for 2 hours.
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9/8/2011 - Gritty wrote: 85 Points
Who'd have thought? Not big or complex by any measure but perfectly acceptable drinking. Secondary chocolate showing on both nose and palate. Still a little tannin, the finish is well balanced. Surprised on the upside.
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8/2/2011 - Bscole2 wrote: 91 Points
Very good.
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7/29/2011 - gilesm wrote:
First of the three blind shirazes.. and 100% guessed correctly. This was served in good company and was clearly the weaker of the wines. Not bad by any means, just not as good. Straightforward flavours, little complexity; quite pleasing.
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4/9/2011 - bigben wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful wine, fresh, fruity, melts in the mouth, i was seriously impressed by this well priced red.
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12/6/2010 - msr wrote: 81 Points
Mildly dry. A bit short.
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10/16/2010 - Evil Homer wrote: 86 Points
Decent
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9/12/2010 - TexasBob wrote: 82 Points
Dark red, approaching blood-red. Black fruit on the nose mixed with black pepper and lots of alcohol. A bit sweetish on the front, immediately vegetal and a bit bitter thereafter, with a peppery finish. Not bad for an everyday BBQ wine.
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8/12/2010 - ThMeyer wrote: 87 Points
Dark color. Dark fruit, new world, but not too jammy. Decent, good with food, but by no means exceptional or special.
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6/27/2010 - SpiSan wrote: 87 Points
consistently jammy, and fruit forward. good match with marinated BBQ steak.
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6/10/2010 - BSpdx Likes this wine: 89 Points
Wonderful expression of Aussie Shiraz. Full bodied and rich, yet also balanced with tasty notes of ripe plum, black cherries, and aided by additional flavors of smoke and tar. Definitely better than your average fruit bomb out of Australia, especially at this price point. Would highly recommend.
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4/22/2010 - Coleman wrote: 89 Points
Very dark. Initially a little rough and peppery, but definitely improves with time. By day 3, it was very enjoyable. Lots of plum and blackberry, with nice length and complexity. 89. 2/3/10
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4/21/2010 - winecharmer wrote: 75 Points
Popped & poured. No discernable nose from the bottle; odd. Not corked but past its peak for sure. Some tannic grip but very little flavor. Light & summery, with some eucalyptus and a hint of pencil. Definitely American oak. No discernable finish, either. Does not improve with air. Takes me back to college, though. If you have any, drink it now, but go ahead and drink something else first.
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2/16/2010 - DrinkNectar wrote: 84 Points
Video review at http://drinknectar.com/2010/02/08/episode-30-australian-wine-not-the-kangaroo/
The Stuff: 100% reserve block Shiraz; 18 months in oak; 14.3% ABV
The Swirl: Dark plum inkiness with mild jewel tones toward the edges
The Sniff: Underwhelming nose with hints of blackberry and/or plum, moderate sprigs of clove and spice
The Sip: Grape candy licorice on the front end with green twig component on the back end. The wine still feels young and could/should be cellared for a few more years.
The Score: At $12 this is a pleasant Shiraz offering that scores a low 3.
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2/11/2010 - toontune wrote: 87 Points
Rich and showing a bit of complexity. Nice finish. Not much of a nose...very good value at $9.
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1/31/2010 - SpiSan wrote: 87 Points
woody, still good value for this new world type
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1/28/2010 - psych49 wrote: 85 Points
Chewy tannins, dark fruit, a little jammy. Decent overall.
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12/21/2009 - BrandrB wrote: 85 Points
Very nice. Deep purple color with a garnet rim. Tight nose, just a little dark fruit coming through. Deep dark berries with light spice on the medium-full bodied palate. Good acidity and nice tannins. Smooth finish.Very good value. Perfect for anytime drinking.
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11/8/2009 - flussier wrote: 84 Points
Robe de couleur: Rouge foncé, Bouquet présent; Astringence faible; Arômes en bouche: Petit Fruit noir confit, épice, beurre, Bon accord met et vin, bonne longueur, un peu trop amere
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9/5/2009 - SpiSan wrote: 87 Points
Just had this with my first "pulled pork" BBQ. It was able to stand up to the strong spicing of the wood smoke recipe we used. Very good value for the $.
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7/13/2009 - firespeed_1 wrote: 88 Points
The 2004 reserve had a dark purple core with no noticeable lightening at the rim. After 3 hours of decanting, the wine showed aromas of plum, blackcurrant, cedar wood and slight spiciness. On the palate, the wine was full-bodied, nicely balanced with fresh acidity and sweet tannin. Unfortunately, the finish was rather short. I think that the wine is now ready and would drink well for 5 years.
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7/5/2009 - justallie wrote: 84 Points
Nice on the first night, but even after vacuum sealing, doesn't really hold up on the second night.
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7/5/2009 - admid wrote: 85 Points
Dark red
Plums and pepper aromas
Very fruity, raisins, blackberry, dark chockolate, good balance and medium to full-bodied
Good length
Enjoyable, despite the alcohol level and use of american oak
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6/6/2009 - justallie wrote: 84 Points
Dark fruits. Nice overall, perhaps needed to let it open up a bit longer? Need to try it again.
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5/10/2009 - SpiSan wrote: 86 Points
dark red, nice fruit, but I should have decanted to open it up.
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4/19/2009 - stercomm wrote: 87 Points
Same notes as before, a very good wine for the price.
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1/25/2009 - stercomm wrote: 87 Points
Good nose of raspberry and some spice, mouth feel is good a little hot, palate reveals solid fruit and a sweet tart like taste with some spice aftertaste. For the price this is always a good buy
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9/2/2008 - Roy380 wrote: 85 Points
Very pleasant actually
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