11/17/2018 - ChrisPage Likes this wine:

Beautifully balanced Pinotage Nose of dried black cherry and tar. Palate is consistent with black cherry, green undergrowth, dusty tannins. Gave it a few hours to breath. Could have done with longer but still outstanding.

10/2/2017 - forceberry wrote:

A blend of Syrah (93%) and Viognier (7%).

Quite dense and almost opaque black-red color. Th nose is dry, savory and slightly smoky with aromas of black pepper, brambly blackberries, some fresh blackcurrant, a hint of sweeter dark-skinned berries and a touch of savory wood spice. Overall the nose feels very well-proportioned, fragrant and attractive. The wine feels ripe, smooth and definitely more medium- than full-bodied with pretty savory flavors of peppery spice, brambly blackberries, some smoke, a little bit of juicy plummy fruits and a hint of dark chocolate bitterness. The wine shows some sense of concentration and great structure with moderately high acidity and pretty firm, chewy tannins. There's a lot going on here and overall the wine is more structure-driven and savory than fruit-driven and sweet. The finish is dry, meaty and quite robust with long, savory and slightly woody flavors of brambly blackberries, ink, some peppery spice, a little bit of old wood, a hint of sweet milk chocolate and a touch of ripe boysenberries.

A very beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable Aussie Shiraz that nods deep to the classic Côte-Rôtie style, yet is still recognizably very Australian. I love how the fruit is not excessively ripe, sweet and on the fore, but instead there is a lot of room for those non-fruit flavors, most of which aren't oak flavors either. Even though the wine is already 5 years old, it still feels very youthful and tightly-knit - even a bit primary - so I can imagine there is still a lot of room to evolve. A wonderfully crafted and delicious wine that will need years more before it really starts to sing. No need to open before its 10th birthday; expect the score go up as the wine ages. Highly recommended.