5/31/2009 - TexasA&M wrote:

Better than expected. On the lighter side of Zins. Good fruit with some nice earthness to it. Some pepper as well on the finish. Pretty similar experience to person that rated before me. Didn't have to decant - was already pretty open. On second night and even better than night before. Not generally a fan of Williams-Selyem (at least recent years)

8/5/2008 - TexasA&M wrote:

Very nice in deed! This wine could use some more time - am going to save 1/4 for tomorrow night. Here's what I am getting so far... Very opaque color and full body. Long finish with a decent amount of complexity - flavors evolve in the mouth for 30+ seconds. You end up with a nice well balanced chocolate after taste. Tannins are present but not over powering. Aromas are: deep chocolate with berries - blackberry or currant. Hint of vanilla and smoke - definitely oak characteristics. Very impressed with potential!

8/3/2008 - TexasA&M wrote:

Tons of sulfur - hard to get much else initially. Some really nice peach underneath. Finish is quite long and velvety - light body wine with a good balance of acidity. Good complexity as well. Will save my other 2 bottles for a year or two. This one has some potential

7/28/2008 - TexasA&M wrote:

Not sure where to start... I let it decant for about an hour and then took it to a dinner with a bunch of friends. We had the tasting menu at a cool restaurant in Chicago called Sweets & Savories. The wine by itself is difficult to understand. It's not your typical Cabernet and I would have guessed it was a Zin by the aroma. The taste is wild - medium bodied with a weird shift in flavors - spices, liqeuer, some cherry. Definitely similar to an Amarone. In fact, one of my friends asked if it was an Amarone. By itself, the wine is a bit hard to drink. However, with the right complement of food, it really works well. The complexity and shift in flavors really makes the food balance out perfectly. I found myself liking the wine more and more as the night progressed. It was outstanding with a duck breast plate. It also was quite interesting with a cold soup. Make sure you give the bottle a chance by opening it up with some complex food. If you do, you will be rewarded. If you don't, you will likely walk away disappointed.

5/21/2008 - TexasA&M wrote:

Fantastic experience! In terms of taste, in line with what others are saying - very smooth, complex with a good amount of length. The wine was really well structured and a crowd pleaser. I decanted a bit differently than others. I opened up the bottle in the morning prior to work while I worked from home. I then poured it back into the bottle. Total decanting time was about 6 hours. It then sat in the bottle with the cork for another 4 hours. Man was it great! It left me wishing I had more than one bottle.

3/25/2006 - TexasA&M wrote:

Decanted two bottles for an hour in preparation for a friend's chili cook-off. Both bottles exhibited the same characteristics... The nose is still there - full of fruit but unfortunately not as beautiful as last year. The finish remains relatively short but it was short to begin with. The tannins are quite smooth and overall the wine is still pretty good - just one that isn't destined to age well (as expected). I previously let one bottle sit overnight (with vacuum) and it improved greatly. Either way, I agree w/ previous consumers - its time to drink these up...

4/29/2005 - TexasA&M wrote:

Very well balanced after sitting in the cellar for 17 months. Lots of blackberries, abundant violets and vanila. Perhaps even a small hint of licorice. Very dark purple, full bodied with medium legs. A long lasting finish of over 35 seconds tops of this beauty. Absolutely delicious and typical of a great Australian Shiraz!

To quote another review: "Profound? Eh. Enjoyable? Definitely! I could probably drink the whole bottle." - scratch that, "I did drink the whole bottle, in one sitting"

11/19/2004 - TexasA&M wrote:

Wow!!! Big, bold - Like "Shotfire Ridge on Steroids" (WDC)