Vitamin W: Australian Shiraz Tasting

Eric Ullman's in Oakland, CA
Tasted Tuesday, February 1, 2005 by EPounds with 817 views

Introduction

Every two weeks, our tasting group in the East Bay (Northern California) gets together to learn about varietals around the world and appreciate mostly sub-$20 offerings. We always end the evening with a special wine that one member of the group brings that they feel is a nice finishing complement to the other wines tasted. This week we tasted Austrailian Shiraz from the '02 and '03 vintages that are under $20 in price. After the tasting was over, we enjoyed a bottle of '99 d'Arenberg "The Dead Arm".

Flight 1 - The Main Event (6 Notes)

The wines are listed in order the group rated them, from favorite to least appreciated.

  • 2002 Connor Park Shiraz

    Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Bendigo

    This is a big and borderline overdone Shiraz. The nose is full of ripe berry with pleasantly integrated spices. The spice continues on the palate with elements of rich chocolate and the finish is long with an enjoyable tannic structure. This wine was our group favorite when comparing sub-$20 '02 and '03 Shiraz.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2002 Mitolo Shiraz Jester

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Ripe, dark fruit nose with hints of carmel and earthy herbs. Smooth and pleasant taste that is integrated, but soft. This is a fun wine that has a big nose and easy drinking.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2003 Thorn-Clarke Shiraz Shotfire (Ridge)

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa

    Bright fruit nose with a sense of toasted marshmallow, making it sweet. Strong acidity and alcohol in the initial taste and a dead finish was a disappointment after an enjoyable, but different nose.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2002 Green Point Shiraz Victoria

    Australia, Victoria

    Nice, non-agressive, medium ripe fruit nose with a hint of red bell pepper. The finish was a bit bitter. This wine was a disappointment for our tasting group after reading its shining professional reviews.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2003 Hewitson Shiraz Ned & Henry's

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    This is not much nose in this wine. What is there is plum and purple fruit (as described by David in our tasting group). The tannins are overpowering and the finish is hot and bitter, leaving the palate dry.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2002 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz

    Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

    The nose consisted of woody pine and seemed seedy. This wine was far from overpowering and was our least favorite during our low cost '02-03 Shiraz group tasting.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Flight 2 - The Special Wine (1 Note)

  • 1999 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Decanted for two hours. Excellent nose that was rich and complex. The palette has strong acidity, but not overwhelming. This still seems too young to drink as the flavors do not seem to be well integrated. I look forward to tasting this in a few years.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Closing

When it was all said and done with, we were disappointed with the showings of these wines. Some of the wines tasted received high professional reviews, which probably set our expectations high. The '02 Connor Park and '02 Jester were the group's favorites, with not much appreciation for any of the other bottles. We can always tell what everyone really thought when the event ends and remaining wine gets sorted out in "doggy bags". Only the two wines mentioned were actively snagged.

×
×