Steak and other goodness

Dinner with Ray, Rachel and Lionel and Elsa.

• 1998 Best's Great Western Shiraz Thomson Family 93 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western

  I expected this to be good, but it was actually quite a bit better than I had hoped for. A real beauty with char-grilled baby-back ribs too. Dark ruby, with a rather sweetish, weighty nose of ripe plum and prunes and secondary undertones of earth, licorice and perfumed flowers, with a little mineral tone mixed in there. Some clove and sweet vanilla notes emerged as part of the melange after some time. The dense palate showed plum, prune, spice and licorice, with streaks of mineral, all kept dancing with really fresh acid. The wine finished really long with more spice and mineral and a dusky kiss of preserved prunes. A red-meaty hint started infusing the wine later on. Tannins had softened and rounded off - the only weak point of the wine, which could use with a bit more support here. Otherwise, it was seamless from head to toe, very concentrated, intense and lovely. Big at 14.5%, but no one could tell. Such was the sense of elegance and freshness in the wine that, when served blind, the table could not even decide between Old World and New World Syrah / Shiraz.

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• 2006 Glaetzer Anaperenna 91 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  Ray's bottle. Served blind after an hour in the decanter, everyone on the table called it an Aussie Shiraz, no suprise too. Dark, park purple. Super forward nose, with sweet, dark licorice, plum, blackcurrants. There was lots more of the super concentratedm dense, dark fruit on the palate. I was expecting it to be really OTT, but it was certainly very while very extracted, sweet, viscous, very big, it also had nice bright acid and really fine tannins holding everything up. A bit of secondary fermentation going on as well, and I think the fizz also helped with giving a sense of freshness. Really nice finish, longish and juicy with white pepper notes coming out with time. After some time, the Cab started showing with little streaks of green pepper and foresty scents. I found this in all a lot more elegant (if you would actually use that word for this little monster) than many of the Barossa output. Will be better if it ever tones down - may take quite a few years though. Paired really nicely with char-grilled baby-back ribs

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• 2004 Reichsrat Von Buhl Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Auslese 92 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  Rachel's bottle, drank as an after dinner sweet. Golden yellow, with a syrupy nose of apricots, peach and slate, moving seamlessly into the rather stonier palate. It attacked with more peachy flavours, but from mid-palte onwards, this was full of green apples brimming with juicy acidity. Nice long finish, with a streak of mineral and loads of juicy freshness. Rather simple for an Auslese, and maybe lacking a bit of weight, but it was an extremely well knit and yummy wine. Great way to end a heavy meal.

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