September 24, 2018 - Turkey Flat is rightly famous for its great value Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. This Rhone styled blend of 41% Shiraz, 40% Grenache, and 19% Mourvedre is one of Australia's better takes on Code du Rhone blends in France. Dark but short of opaque with very elegant, bright, refreshing, and fruity flavors. Finishes with drying tannin that shows nothing astringent, grippy, heavy, or harsh. Each day opened the fruit flavors got even richer and more delicious, with no separate sugary taste. Overall, supremely savory. Thanks, screw cap, for keeping this 13 year old wine so great tasting.
February 17, 2011 - Typical bold Barossa Shiraz with concentrated fruit. This is better than some of it's contemporaries that have the fake candy. Finish falls apart a bit. Too much heat and acidity crept in towards the end.
September 15, 2010 - The claim to fame is that these are Australia's orginal Shiraz vines which are well over 100 years old. The other advantage is that they are at the foot of the barossa which drops the temperature at night. The wine maker apperently says "its like putting the grapes in the fridge at night." So they are not gooey, goobey wines. These thoughts from Trevor Lukens from American Estates Wines.
Now this is good Australian wine. About 4 to 5% of this wines' Shiraz comes from the century old vines. Spends 18 months in French oak.
The Butchers Block is so named because the property was orginally a dairy farm, and they have the original cutting block still. Not bad for $19.
February 1, 2010 - Decanted for an hour. Garnet color with some cranberry on the edge. The nose was black cherry with hints of sour cherry and raspberry with a bouquet of pepper and other herbs. The mouth feel was medium bodies and the tannins were almost imperceptible. A good amount of acidity but not too lively. The palate was smooth raspberry, pomegranate (others have said it and I agree), vanilla and spice. A medium length finish gave way to vanilla, raspberry and some pepper lingering. It was a bit sweet but not overly so. Overall it is a very good wine. 50+4+12+16+7=89 pts
August 16, 2009 - Barnyard, old world aromas of spice that are reminiscent of old vine Grenach and Mouvedre. Kind of rustic. I don't like the taste and smell of what I think are stems. Very dark, but not especially fruity. Nice oak integration. Soft tannins on the finish. Not my cup of tea, but pretty well made.
May 24, 2009 - Pleasant. Unfortunately, this wine suffered a little for having been served along side some real beauts. Need to really have another look later to appreciate it in full. However, it was a very pleasant and good quality wine.
May 13, 2009 - stress-buster pop and pour. bright red fruit - other's on CT say pomegranate - good call. And bright cherry raspberry too. I like the aussie dependability and this is just right for a mid-week hit. don't save it for a special dinner - but top stuff for a mid-week fix.
December 20, 2008 - Not bad. A bit of the fake Australian thing, like Marquis Phillips, Yellow Tail and Mollydooker have, but less so. Deep, thick color. Raspberry pomegranate throughout. A little heat. Too much for the middle eastern fare we paired it with. Thought it might be a little less heavy or a wine.
September 1, 2008 - Dark Cranberry Red, barely see-through. Candied Cherry Syrup on first pour. This turned to more of a red-berries and tart pomagranette. Very hot early on-but this disapated over 2 hours into a very nice red fruit compote. Sweet but with enough dryness to be enjoyed on it's own or with food. We had with Meatballs, garden Veggie Ragu, and Rigatoni. Very nice! I would consider this bottle again, and maybe try with a year of age.
May 16, 2008 - Had at a wine bar. It was fully aired...if anything might have been slightly on the downhill side by the time I drank it. Good balance, solid if subdued fruit, and a pleasant aftertaste. I'd buy this for everyday drinking if the price were right.