Community Tasting Note
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DaveZack Likes this wine: 94 points
March 2, 2013 - Wow, this is a FANTASTIC Australian Shiraz (with 5% Viognier added to make things even more interesting). First thing I noticed: this wine doesn’t just pour dark; this wine is practically black (and that is NOT an exaggeration). If you like dark, rich, creamy, smoky, spicy, fruity Australian Shiraz, this is YOUR wine!
There is an abundance of dark/black/blue fruits up front (plums, black berries, blueberries), along with a basketful of savory herbs like sage, rosemary, and a truckload of black pepper. Being 10-years-old-ish, this wine is beautifully well-aged, with smooth, silky tannins, mellow, perfectly-structured acidity, with a smoky, slightly oaky backbone.
This wine is a perfect example why people should properly age/cellar their red wines. One of my biggest pet peeves in the world: restaurants that are selling 2011 red wines, which, no matter the varietal and no mater what region they come from, are WAY too young to be drunk in March, 2013. In a perfect world, most (practically all?) red wines should be aged/cellared for at least five to ten years. Most wines that have had time to mature and mellow-out (like the wine under review here) exhibit creamy, silken tannins that aren’t as exuberant and obnoxious as they were when they were only two or three-years-old. Young wines can be fruitier, more acidic, and more astringent. In my humble opinion, that’s NOT a good thing. I prefer the more mellow and creamy reds that show maturity and depth-of-flavors (like this shinning example).4 people found this helpful 1,385 views
3 Comments
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ivorytusk01 commented:
5/22/13, 4:57 PM - Totally agree but we're fighting a losing battle with the 'instant gratification' generation ;-)
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SonnyJay commented:
6/8/13, 11:53 PM - Preach it. Though I get a restaurant can't really devote five years of cellar space for each wine they sell, it would be nice.
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ivorytusk01 commented:
6/9/13, 7:36 AM - SonnyJay, if the restaurant bought wine the right way they wouldn't have to. It's very possible (I do it all the time) to buy aged wine at very attractive prices that's ready to drink. If you do your homework you get rewarded :-)