Screwcap, 14.5% alc. Strong dark ruby/ red ink colour; still bright.
Reasonably subdued savoury nose of deli meats, dusty cupboard, blackberry and plum. Pan juices, vanilla, and star anise in the background.
While the nose comes across as quiet and tertiary, the wine explodes on the palate with rich, ripe, palate staining sweet fruit and oak that really fans out with powerful intensity. The tannins are always making themselves known; fine grained but plentiful and chewy on the finish. Acidity firm, and alcohol showing a little.
Opinion: Clearly a high quality wine; not a pretender like many. Though looked better on day 1 than day 3. Reassess in 3-4 years.
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WSET Level 2 Class; 9/13/2018-11/4/2018 (The Texas Wine School): Good bordering on very good quality Shiraz that is clear, deep ruby in color. On the nose, it's clean with a medium intensity. It has aromas and flavors of black cherry, blueberry, cooked fruits, tobacco, leather, spices, vanilla, chocolate, and toast. On the palate, it's dry with medium acidity, medium tannins, full body, and a medium finish.
This wine will be better in another 2-3 years once the fruit comes down just a notch and the aging takes hold a little more. Well integrated oak while still fruitful. I would put this with a pork roast or a steak for sure!
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A nicely aging Shiraz. Still had a lot of Dark berries on the front but obviously with some aged character too. The middle swam with a mix of fruits, a touch of spice and some mild tannin. The finish was smooth and subtle fruit and maybe a touch of light tannin.
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A very nice Aussie shiraz, though not a particularly good QPR. My complaint is the same as Hutch's, that at 11 years of age, this should show some development. Instead it tastes like a 3-year old Aussie, which means lots of blueberry, but no secondary tastes to speak of. If I had another bottle, I would let it sit for another decade before trying again.
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Closed, boozy nose, with notes of charred oak and anise. Medium-bodied palate, with strong (slightly harsh) alcohol and flavours of black fruit and charred oak. Tastes very young.
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Lots of black and blue berries throughout with very good concentration. Just slightly sweeter than perfect, but that still worked well tonight with rich gumbo.
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I love screw caps, all the more b/c of two corked bottled encounters recently. And this bottle shows fruit probably almost as bright than upon release. But I keep thinking of former experiences of 10-15 year old Aussie reds, which was usually my sweet spot for enjoyment. In screw caps, these 10-15 year old wines don't have that, and it does make me wonder a bit about putting everything in screw cap. Either way, lots of fruit on this, very big and rich, not overly complex. Just a really nice Aussie Shiraz. Big, but not over the top.
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Fantastic cool climate Shiraz. Totally showed up my Giaconda Warner from last night (to be fair, this is screwcap, not cork, unlike the Warner). Intensely perfumed nose of fruits, savoury spice, pepper and dusty earth. Great velvety mouthfeel of sour plums, blackberries, blueberries and a cornucopia of other fruit in the background, intertwined with great savoury spice. Tannins make their presence felt, but in a smooth, integrated way. Finish is nice and long.
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Heavy on fruit by mouthfeel but short on taste for the price. The flavor was monolithic with everything jumbled together. Even at that it was a pleasant taste but for $50 it needs to Layered and full....It wasn't!
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Black plum, blueberry, blackberry with modest spice. Good concentration with enough structure to retain balance, even if slightly sweeter and more ripe than I'd prefer. Worked very nicely with slightly spicy food.
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This beauty really opens up after a few hours with blueberry and plum intertwining with spicy notes on the nose. The tanin is still quite grippy, but agree with a previous post about a velvety mouthfeel and really nice long finish. My only regret is opening this now and not waiting a couple more years.
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Thoroughly cool climate Australian Shiraz - absolutely no disappointment here. All the depth of an Australian Shiraz but beautifully dressed with elegance and avoiding overstatement. So young and fresh but with an evident balance and integration of age. Darkly fruited and gently spiced. Very good.
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was looking for a screw-top red to go with my roast chicken Sunday supper (the Beaujolais we were supposed to drink was corked so I didn't want to take any chances!), and this was the first bottle I found. It is lush, plummy, and velvety at this moment in its evolution. Lots of pepper emerges with air, along with additional blue fruit notes. Lovely, layered flavors and a satiny, lingering finish. Can't say I'm sad the Beaujolais was bad now... :)
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Deep dark red in the glass , the nose is concentrated with blackberry and peppery notes. The palate is long, complex and shows the potential for aging. Savory plum, understated blueberry and mulberry are most evident on the palate, with oak playing a supporting role. The tannins are fine but firm, providing excellent structure and length on the finish. Review Link - www.winereviewer.com.au (drink by 2020)
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3/12/2022 - mphatic Likes this wine:
Screwcap, 14.5% alc. Strong dark ruby/ red ink colour; still bright.
Reasonably subdued savoury nose of deli meats, dusty cupboard, blackberry and plum. Pan juices, vanilla, and star anise in the background.
While the nose comes across as quiet and tertiary, the wine explodes on the palate with rich, ripe, palate staining sweet fruit and oak that really fans out with powerful intensity. The tannins are always making themselves known; fine grained but plentiful and chewy on the finish. Acidity firm, and alcohol showing a little.
Opinion: Clearly a high quality wine; not a pretender like many. Though looked better on day 1 than day 3. Reassess in 3-4 years.
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8/30/2021 - Bistrostu wrote: 97 Points
Absolutely terrific. Drinking beautifully now. Long smooth palate. Pleasure drinking
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4/18/2021 - guitarguy wrote: 89 Points
Blackberry and sous bois in the nose. Flavors include blackberry, pepper, heat, burnt notes. Meh.
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10/4/2018 - JustBad Likes this wine: 89 Points
WSET Level 2 Class; 9/13/2018-11/4/2018 (The Texas Wine School): Good bordering on very good quality Shiraz that is clear, deep ruby in color. On the nose, it's clean with a medium intensity. It has aromas and flavors of black cherry, blueberry, cooked fruits, tobacco, leather, spices, vanilla, chocolate, and toast. On the palate, it's dry with medium acidity, medium tannins, full body, and a medium finish.
This wine will be better in another 2-3 years once the fruit comes down just a notch and the aging takes hold a little more. Well integrated oak while still fruitful. I would put this with a pork roast or a steak for sure!
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1/3/2018 - wtianseter wrote: 90 Points
A nicely aging Shiraz. Still had a lot of Dark berries on the front but obviously with some aged character too. The middle swam with a mix of fruits, a touch of spice and some mild tannin. The finish was smooth and subtle fruit and maybe a touch of light tannin.
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5/20/2017 - Quarked wrote: 90 Points
A very nice Aussie shiraz, though not a particularly good QPR. My complaint is the same as Hutch's, that at 11 years of age, this should show some development. Instead it tastes like a 3-year old Aussie, which means lots of blueberry, but no secondary tastes to speak of. If I had another bottle, I would let it sit for another decade before trying again.
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5/9/2017 - Drinking Trees wrote:
Closed, boozy nose, with notes of charred oak and anise. Medium-bodied palate, with strong (slightly harsh) alcohol and flavours of black fruit and charred oak. Tastes very young.
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5/8/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Lots of black and blue berries throughout with very good concentration. Just slightly sweeter than perfect, but that still worked well tonight with rich gumbo.
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5/3/2017 - hutch wrote: 89 Points
I love screw caps, all the more b/c of two corked bottled encounters recently. And this bottle shows fruit probably almost as bright than upon release. But I keep thinking of former experiences of 10-15 year old Aussie reds, which was usually my sweet spot for enjoyment. In screw caps, these 10-15 year old wines don't have that, and it does make me wonder a bit about putting everything in screw cap. Either way, lots of fruit on this, very big and rich, not overly complex. Just a really nice Aussie Shiraz. Big, but not over the top.
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12/28/2016 - AnonymousCoward Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fantastic cool climate Shiraz. Totally showed up my Giaconda Warner from last night (to be fair, this is screwcap, not cork, unlike the Warner). Intensely perfumed nose of fruits, savoury spice, pepper and dusty earth. Great velvety mouthfeel of sour plums, blackberries, blueberries and a cornucopia of other fruit in the background, intertwined with great savoury spice. Tannins make their presence felt, but in a smooth, integrated way. Finish is nice and long.
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5/31/2016 - wtianseter wrote: 85 Points
Heavy on fruit by mouthfeel but short on taste for the price. The flavor was monolithic with everything jumbled together. Even at that it was a pleasant taste but for $50 it needs to Layered and full....It wasn't!
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5/8/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Black plum, blueberry, blackberry with modest spice. Good concentration with enough structure to retain balance, even if slightly sweeter and more ripe than I'd prefer. Worked very nicely with slightly spicy food.
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4/9/2016 - Jaseziv Likes this wine: 94 Points
This beauty really opens up after a few hours with blueberry and plum intertwining with spicy notes on the nose. The tanin is still quite grippy, but agree with a previous post about a velvety mouthfeel and really nice long finish. My only regret is opening this now and not waiting a couple more years.
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1/1/2016 - nwebstar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Thoroughly cool climate Australian Shiraz - absolutely no disappointment here. All the depth of an Australian Shiraz but beautifully dressed with elegance and avoiding overstatement. So young and fresh but with an evident balance and integration of age. Darkly fruited and gently spiced. Very good.
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5/2/2015 - drdebs Likes this wine: 92 Points
was looking for a screw-top red to go with my roast chicken Sunday supper (the Beaujolais we were supposed to drink was corked so I didn't want to take any chances!), and this was the first bottle I found. It is lush, plummy, and velvety at this moment in its evolution. Lots of pepper emerges with air, along with additional blue fruit notes. Lovely, layered flavors and a satiny, lingering finish. Can't say I'm sad the Beaujolais was bad now... :)
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3/4/2011 - Patrick - winereviewer.com.au wrote: 94 Points
Deep dark red in the glass , the nose is concentrated with blackberry and peppery notes. The palate is long, complex and shows the potential for aging. Savory plum, understated blueberry and mulberry are most evident on the palate, with oak playing a supporting role. The tannins are fine but firm, providing excellent structure and length on the finish.
Review Link - www.winereviewer.com.au (drink by 2020)
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