Stamford Book Club
Davenport Farm
Tasted May 8, 2012 by gbm with 329 views
Introduction
Shiraz/Syrah Night
Flight 1 (5 notes)
Started the night with the surprise Rhone, which was excellent and is up there for WOTN despite its score. Then we moved into the Schild (too bad we didn't have a second bottling for comparison) followed by the Mitolo and Dead Arm which were pretty similar in style I think. The Oliverhill was opened late and I don't think everyone had it. That's unfortunate. It was a very good wine and fell somewhere between the Schild and Mitolo/Dead Arm in style.
COLOR: Dark reddish purple. Opaque.
NOSE: Not much fruit left, but there was some leather and maybe vanilla.
TASTE: The fruit was still there. Mix of blackberries, blueberries, maybe some sweet cherries. A little pepper in the background and some leather.
OVERALL: Very nice. Low acidity and tannins. Short finish, but a very nice surprise. Easy to drink.
(4+11+17+7)
COLOR: Dark, inky reddish purple.
NOSE: Oak, vanilla and rich (syrupy) black fruit.
TASTE: You ever drink Coke syrup? Imagine if they condensed wine down to syrup to be reconstituted at the point of purchase. The jammy fruit overwhelmed everything else. There was some spice and vanilla in the background, but it was hard to pick up. Definitely not my style.
OVERALL: Sweet - or maybe bitter - finish. Maybe time will help it. I cannot score this wine. I didn't like it, but that doesn't mean it was a bad wine. Others at the tasting really enjoyed it. Just not my thing.
COLOR: Dark purple. Opaque.
NOSE: Oak, licorice, spice and pepper. Wow! Very aromatic.
TASTE: Very peppery. I am not sure if age has mellowed the jamminess of this wine or the pepper masks it Maybe it's just not a typical Parker fruit bomb? Either way, I like it. Also some black licorice and vanilla.
OVERALL: Long, hot finish. Excellent wine. It is a HUGE wine and really needs food.
(4+13+17+8)
COLOR: Deep, dark purple.
NOSE: Leathe, chocolate, spice, blackberry.
TASTE: Excellent. Chocolate, dark plums, licorice, and a hint of vanilla. Very nice, smooth, medium finish.
OVERALL: Great wine.
(4+13+18+9)
NOSE: Dark fruit and some leather and spice.
TASTE: Heavy dark fruit, almost but not quite jammy. (EDIT: Described below as a pie - excellent description). Some vanilla and spice.
OVERALL: Finish is a little sharp. maybe some tannins showing through. Overall, nice wine. Not my style, but it's still pretty good.
(4+12+17+7)
Closing
The Dead Arm edged out the Mitolo because I felt it was slightly more complex. I really enjoyed the Hermitage, but it's very difficult to compare to the Aussie Shiraz. I'll consider it an opening wine and give WOTN to the Dead Arm. I need to try a couple more Barossa Valley wines and see if they are all of a similar style or there is something there for me to enjoy.