Wonderful resolved medium restrained Barossa shiraz. {screwcap} Slight bricking on the rim. Fruit hanging in with mixed dark berries, black pepper and some wood spice. Mid palate of integrated oak and the dark fruit supplying the complexity. Medium Nice balance all the way from nose to finish. Credit to a well made wine designed to cellar. (this vintage anyway) This is ready to drink now at 20 yrs old. Although has held up well after 24 hrs in the fridge, but no need to wait.
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Decanted an hour and a half. Deep dark purple. Nose of dark fruits. Strong fruit on the palate with Sryah meatiness. Smooth texture with nice tannins. This is powerful, but not a "knock you over" Aussie Shiraz. Clearly has more time to go, but went wonderful with dinner.
Wolf Blass masterclass with Chris Hatcher (Tower Club): Alcohol :: 14.5% Matured in new and seasoned French oak of varying toast levels for 24 months. Coolest vintages in record. Dark purplish. Colder aromas of spicy pepper, mint, blueberry and blackberry note that is high tone and intense, with good freshness in it. Savory, lightly toasted bread with meatiness all intermixed harmoniously with concentrated sweet dark fruits. Opulent but not over the top, silky texture and a little bit softer and gentle than the black label. Structured and power but with a bit more of elegance. Juicy finish, drinking well but will aged well too.
Aroma: tobacco, cedar, black raspberry Palate: cloves; all spice; sour creamy cherries; pure, clear fruit; a little coffee. I tried it with chile con carne and it paired very well. I've been drinking a bottle a year since 2009 and it has been consistently good. My score for it has been the same every year.
Taste: Smooth on the palate and evolved nicely. Still has a nice rich warm fruit with spice and pepper notes which morphed into more tar and lead elements. Quite harmonious on the palate. Very good (but not great). My WOTN for this dinner.
From my 'special event' wine category...best of friends (& discerning)...best of wine @ one of my fav restaurants The Ajax Cafe! Silky smooth and with all the shiraz nose and tasting notes you want...fragrant aromas of spice, ripe berries and dark chocolate...finishing with tremendous length of fruit and fine lingering tannins. Enjoyed with proscuitto wrapped cod and steak! My guests preferred it to the first bottle (WB Black Label '99)!
Very nice wine. Very barrossa like upon open but with more restraint and some nice earthy notes. Really starts to sing when the acidity comes forward and balances out the sweetness and brings a juiciness to the wine. Then it is dark raspberries and blackberries with menthol, earth and spice in a balanced package. Still not my favorite style wine, but very well made. 90-91.
Even better than last year, this wine is developing nicely. A thirty minute decant helped it open but my guess is it could have been opened for hours. It was gone before i could even have more than a taste, so i can't say much, except that no one complained.
youthful purple. deep earthy, cedary plum nose and finish. As the wine opened up, the clean, long lasting finish added considerable cinnamon spice. rich but not over the top. well balanced.
4/15/2022 - ShirazTrain wrote: 94 Points
Wonderful resolved medium restrained Barossa shiraz.
{screwcap} Slight bricking on the rim.
Fruit hanging in with mixed dark berries, black pepper and some wood spice.
Mid palate of integrated oak and the dark fruit supplying the complexity.
Medium
Nice balance all the way from nose to finish.
Credit to a well made wine designed to cellar. (this vintage anyway)
This is ready to drink now at 20 yrs old. Although has held up well after 24 hrs in the fridge, but no need to wait.
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2/8/2020 - SadEdjo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark colour. Heady, smooth plumb and blueberry. Resolved tannins. Love the screwcap
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7/28/2018 - ubercuvee wrote:
Still with plenty of life left, I'd be quite surprised if this didn't improve over the next 5 years and drink well over the next 10-15
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10/7/2017 - thebatcavewines Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for 5 hours. Rich plum flavours with a fruity undertone. A big punch at first with a short finish. It was well worth the wait.
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2/1/2015 - ubercuvee wrote:
REally very good Barossa shiraz. No overripeness, heat or softness. Firm tannic spine suggests a long life ahead
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5/20/2012 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au wrote: 98 Points
Awesome rich full bodied, super smooth Barossa Shiraz....very pleased we have more!
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3/11/2012 - stocksandbondage wrote: 88 Points
Wow, so sweet and so much oak. Very disappointing as this was much more balanced when I first tried it
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2/25/2012 - PolarBear22 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted an hour and a half. Deep dark purple. Nose of dark fruits. Strong fruit on the palate with Sryah meatiness. Smooth texture with nice tannins. This is powerful, but not a "knock you over" Aussie Shiraz. Clearly has more time to go, but went wonderful with dinner.
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2/8/2012 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 92 Points
Wolf Blass masterclass with Chris Hatcher (Tower Club): Alcohol :: 14.5%
Matured in new and seasoned French oak of varying toast levels for 24 months.
Coolest vintages in record. Dark purplish. Colder aromas of spicy pepper, mint, blueberry and blackberry note that is high tone and intense, with good freshness in it. Savory, lightly toasted bread with meatiness all intermixed harmoniously with concentrated sweet dark fruits. Opulent but not over the top, silky texture and a little bit softer and gentle than the black label. Structured and power but with a bit more of elegance. Juicy finish, drinking well but will aged well too.
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1/17/2012 - BlancdeBlanc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Aroma: tobacco, cedar, black raspberry Palate: cloves; all spice; sour creamy cherries; pure, clear fruit; a little coffee. I tried it with chile con carne and it paired very well. I've been drinking a bottle a year since 2009 and it has been consistently good. My score for it has been the same every year.
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11/29/2011 - ikileo wrote:
Asian Masters - Wolf Blass Black Label & Platinum Label Wine Dinner (Golden Peony, Conrad Centennial Singapore): Nose: Attractive notes of chinese preserved mandarin peel, celery stems, tomatoes, dirt and hints of pomergranates. I like this one very much
Taste: Smooth on the palate and evolved nicely. Still has a nice rich warm fruit with spice and pepper notes which morphed into more tar and lead elements. Quite harmonious on the palate. Very good (but not great). My WOTN for this dinner.
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3/24/2011 - Bill Davis wrote: 96 Points
From my 'special event' wine category...best of friends (& discerning)...best of wine @ one of my fav restaurants The Ajax Cafe!
Silky smooth and with all the shiraz nose and tasting notes you want...fragrant aromas of spice, ripe berries and dark chocolate...finishing with tremendous length of fruit and fine lingering tannins. Enjoyed with proscuitto wrapped cod and steak! My guests preferred it to the first bottle (WB Black Label '99)!
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3/5/2011 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 91 Points
Nice wine with smoke, oak, spice, pepper and plum. Good concentration and medium to long finish. Nice floral element on the finish.
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1/29/2011 - winegr wrote: 90 Points
Very nice wine. Very barrossa like upon open but with more restraint and some nice earthy notes. Really starts to sing when the acidity comes forward and balances out the sweetness and brings a juiciness to the wine. Then it is dark raspberries and blackberries with menthol, earth and spice in a balanced package. Still not my favorite style wine, but very well made. 90-91.
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5/31/2010 - Wayne Richmon wrote: 92 Points
Even better than last year, this wine is developing nicely. A thirty minute decant helped it open but my guess is it could have been opened for hours. It was gone before i could even have more than a taste, so i can't say much, except that no one complained.
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10/24/2009 - SadEdjo wrote: 91 Points
youthful purple. deep earthy, cedary plum nose and finish. As the wine opened up, the clean, long lasting finish added considerable cinnamon spice. rich but not over the top. well balanced.
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9/16/2009 - iradub wrote: 91 Points
Earthy. Wonderful. Decanted for about an hour. Lots of sediment.
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8/11/2009 - Wayne Richmon wrote: 91 Points
Very earthy shiraz with loads of fruit and a full body. Decant for 1-2 hours for best results.
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