Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Plains
Dark purple. Blackberry, chocolate, coffee and sweet spice on the nose. Not your typical aussie shiraz. Medium to full-bodied, very high, almost disjoint acidity, firm tannins and a long aftertaste. This is still a baby. Promising.
Dark ruby. Expressive nose with dark berry fruit, loam, rubbery notes and animal scents. Full-bodied, dense and soft with balancing acidity and a long aftertaste. A solid syrah/shiraz that had no problem to stand next to the rest wines of the tasting albeit being the cheapest by far.
Raisiny nose with hints of oxidation, overripe, almost stewed fruit and signs of overevolution. Medium to full-bodied on the palate with soft tannins, balance and med+ length. Lacking freshness of fruit and failing to justify its premium price.
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Typical Barossa shiraz nose with mint, eucalypt, chocolate, bluberries and floral scents of violets. Medium to full-bodied with firm yet fine-grained and by no means intrusive tannins and balancing acidity. Long aftertaste. Clearly the winner of the first flight. Still plenty of aging potential.
I loved this wine from the first whif, although some found it extremely primary and focused. Fabulous nose of black pepper, violet, raspberries, smoke and meaty scents. Medium+ bodied, elegant but still youthful with firm tannins of excellent quality, high acidity and a long and beautiful spicy aftertaste.
A idiosyncratic nose that combines aussie shiraz character with iodine, cumin, coriander alongside the usual bluberry, chocolate and eucalypt/mint aromas. Very complex and characterful. Full-bodied with firm, yet chewey tannins, high acidity and a very long aftertaste. A masterpiece.
An amazing wine combining classic old world syrah (Northern Rhone) with Aussie shiraz character. Very dark ruby-garnet colour. Complex nose of charcoal, violet, blueberry, black currant with subtle eucalypt and mint that refer to its aussie origin. Full-bodied but perfectly balanced with rich fruit, chewey tannins of excellent quality and medium to high acidity. Very long aftertaste. This is still quite youthful and I agree with Parker who suggests drinking from 2015 as opposed to WS who suggest drinking until 2015!!! This may deploy even more complexity with further cellaring. This is by no means the monstrous fruit bomb that I was expecting, and I fully understand the winemaker's decision to label it "syrah" and not "shiraz'. A gem.
2011 Penfolds Shiraz Magill Estate 92 Points
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Plains
Dark purple. Blackberry, chocolate, coffee and sweet spice on the nose. Not your typical aussie shiraz. Medium to full-bodied, very high, almost disjoint acidity, firm tannins and a long aftertaste. This is still a baby. Promising.
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2010 Fairview Shiraz The Beacon 92 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Paarl
Dark ruby. Expressive nose with dark berry fruit, loam, rubbery notes and animal scents. Full-bodied, dense and soft with balancing acidity and a long aftertaste. A solid syrah/shiraz that had no problem to stand next to the rest wines of the tasting albeit being the cheapest by far.
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2007 Avantis Estate Syrah Collection 87 Points
Greece, Continental Greece, Evia
Raisiny nose with hints of oxidation, overripe, almost stewed fruit and signs of overevolution. Medium to full-bodied on the palate with soft tannins, balance and med+ length. Lacking freshness of fruit and failing to justify its premium price.
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2006 Yalumba Shiraz The Octavius 94 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Typical Barossa shiraz nose with mint, eucalypt, chocolate, bluberries and floral scents of violets. Medium to full-bodied with firm yet fine-grained and by no means intrusive tannins and balancing acidity. Long aftertaste. Clearly the winner of the first flight. Still plenty of aging potential.
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