Community Tasting Notes 1

• mjwstickings Likes this wine: 91 points

  February 19, 2022 - Here's a suberb Shiraz (Syrah) that seems neither purely French (Rhône) nor purely Australian (Barossa) but rather seems to exist in some region between the two, that is, a different sort of Australian Shiraz altogether, one that challenges the stereotype of the overblown. The French part of it comes through in the highly expressive black pepper, herbs (garrigue), and dark berry notes, while the Australian part comes through in the ripe, fleshy, highly extracted plum and cherry, as well as in the noticeable high alcohol (14.5%) and relatively heavy use of oak (bringing notes of vanilla, caramel, and chocolate). The combination works really well, with intensity on the nose and a full, round texture on the palate. And yet, the truly distinctive element here is a dominant aroma of (really good) Scotch, vaguely smoky with notes of mild brown spice, butterscotch, and burnt orange. This is really good in the one hand but also quite distracting on the other, making this a Shiraz that is neither here nor there nor anywhere. The depth, complexity, and structure (the cherry-pomegranate acidity is too forceful initially but recedes over time) are all excellent, but the Scotchness while also excellent and characterful in and of itself, interferes with any sense of place, especially for a single-vineyard wine like this). So it's somewhere in the broad 89-92 range, with upside (2-3 more years might help).

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Wine Definition

• Vintage 2016
• Type Red
• Producer Dutschke
• Varietal Shiraz
• Designation Single Vineyard
• Vineyard St. Jakobi Vineyard
• Country Australia
• Region South Australia
• SubRegion Barossa
• Appellation Barossa Valley

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 21 (58%)
• Consumed 15 (42%)

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