probably just past peak. Smooth and velvety. Plenty of dark fruit with its GSM true character. I still enjoyed it but wouldn't want to have kept it longer.
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Brought for non wino friends and this was of course a hit. Ripe, juicy, sweet fruit almost stewed. It really has no interest. The only positive is that the 15.5% are well integrated and hidden thanks to the sweet fruit. Definitely more drinkable than their shiraz but what the hell does it say?!!
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Juicy, liqueur-like fruit, with a warm, friendly finish. Nice mouthfeel. Needs a tad more definition to hit 90P in my book. But this has certainly improved since last trying in 12/06.
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Quite a bomb, interesting though and delicious, but a bit unbalanced as the whopping 15.3% alcohol does show itself at this stage - Dark red/purple, concentrated with notes of sweet cherry, plum, pepper, spice and oak on the nose, sweet, complex on the palate and quite 'hot' on the finish with medium length (88 Points).
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As other reviewers have noted, this is a wine that needs time to come around. Day 1 and the sweet fruit taste was almost overwhelming. Though it wasn't undrinkable it certainly paled compared to an 03 Jacob's Creek Shiraz reserve we had just finished (for perspective). Day 1 score: 84. Anyways, we re-corked and didn't get back it until day 5. Not expecting to be able to drink it at all, we were delighted to find that it had morphed into a very agreeable GSM with none of the previous in-your-face sweetness but rather finely integrated jamminess that went quite well with food. Day 2 score: 89.
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Stereotypical Aussie-styled big fruit; definitely on the sweet side. Decent acid; not flabby in the manner of many poorer versions of this style. Definitely shows some heat from its 15.5% abv. Held up well over 4 days; so it should be fine for some time.
Fans of the style will like it more than I did. I bought to experiment because of the winery's good rep and the local markdown ($10). I gathered further evidence that I much more apt to like GSMs from the Rhone or Cali/Washington.
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Lighter is style and body. Nice pretty color. Reminds me of rasperries sprinkled in white pepper. Not the typical fruit bomb from Barossa. I would buy this again.,
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Decanted for 45mins. Ruby red in colour. Nose of sour raspberries, spice, mint and toast. Basic flavour profile of ripe cherries, raspberries and maybe a hint of wood. Enjoyable mouth feel. Bitter on the lengthy finish with some heat. Nice amount of sour tannins. Much better with food. A well made wine that’s ruined by the finish.
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This is a food wine that deserves to be paired with grilled meats, such as a rack of lamb.
This wine displayed mild oak influence, displayed blackberry, chocolate, mineral and earth tones with a bitter dark chocolate finish. Well balanced at 15.5%. Drink now-2 years.
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Needed some time to open up to get any depth at all. Cherry and subtle fruit notes on the nose. Palate is much more earthy with subtle fruit and mineral tones. Hints of leather and chocolate on a long finish. Enjoyed, but did not blend with a meal of roasted pork (my mistake), would do much better with heartier meals--BBQ and others with heavy sauces... may even overwhelm a good steak.
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Purchased recently for $14. A candied-style, with sugary sweet fruit and a confected finish. Juicy and smooth. A crowd-pleaser for non-winos. Drink sooner rather than later.
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Looks quite dark in the glass but has a rosy red edge. Initially lots of blackcurrant and blackberry which blended with more savoury notes after 2 hours when the alcohol was more noted although not harsh, almost plump(?). At this tage there were some leather and liquorice notes coming through to add some complexity to the fruit. It has a nice soft mouthfeel which builds to a mildly spicey tannic end and then a long finish which is spoiled by a flat, almost bitter middle. The lingering end is lovely though. Medium bodied with acidity to last few years but not many. Would have probably scored higher straight away (90/91) and if it wasn't for the flat bitter spot.
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Boy, the notes are all over the place on this wine! I found it to be fine, if not inspired. Color is dark garnet to the rim. Nose reveals candied plum, blackberry, spices, and a hint of creosote. On the palate, spicy plum, dark berries, and bramble mix with a decent acidity that keeps the wine fresh.
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This wine was just plain nasty, the finish was so harsh it was undrinkable. I have two other bottles....we'll see how those are. I would recommend tasting this one before buying.
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7/12/2013 - ABM wrote: 89 Points
probably just past peak. Smooth and velvety. Plenty of dark fruit with its GSM true character. I still enjoyed it but wouldn't want to have kept it longer.
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8/11/2011 - Tim Heaton Does not like this wine:
Another ratings fail strikes again! Just thankful it wasn't the Shiraz, like french16 said. Glad they're all gone now.
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7/24/2010 - french16 wrote:
Brought for non wino friends and this was of course a hit.
Ripe, juicy, sweet fruit almost stewed. It really has no interest. The only positive is that the 15.5% are well integrated and hidden thanks to the sweet fruit. Definitely more drinkable than their shiraz but what the hell does it say?!!
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7/2/2010 - markas101 wrote: 82 Points
Fruity with cherries and currants, overly juicy but matched well with a grilled roast.
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2/6/2010 - khmark7 wrote: 83 Points
Big & ripe, but low acidity makes this out of balance in my book. Alcohol is really noticeable.
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12/16/2009 - GARDEN wrote: 88 Points
There is still a little heat.
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11/25/2009 - wchisling@gmail.com wrote: 85 Points
seemed a little past its prime. Lacked the punch I would have expected from a good GSM
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7/27/2008 - Haggis wrote: 88 Points
Ripe fruit. A little on the hot side. Good, but not great. Non-wine drinkers liked it. Still needs some time to come around.
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7/20/2008 - bvwino wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful bottle. Very fruit forward, light tannans, very nice finish. The hit wine of the night.
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5/25/2008 - otisabdul wrote: 89 Points
Juicy, liqueur-like fruit, with a warm, friendly finish. Nice mouthfeel. Needs a tad more definition to hit 90P in my book. But this has certainly improved since last trying in 12/06.
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5/3/2008 - Tarrant wrote: 88 Points
Quite a bomb, interesting though and delicious, but a bit unbalanced as the whopping 15.3% alcohol does show itself at this stage - Dark red/purple, concentrated with notes of sweet cherry, plum, pepper, spice and oak on the nose, sweet, complex on the palate and quite 'hot' on the finish with medium length (88 Points).
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3/28/2008 - curtispomeroy wrote: 89 Points
As other reviewers have noted, this is a wine that needs time to come around. Day 1 and the sweet fruit taste was almost overwhelming. Though it wasn't undrinkable it certainly paled compared to an 03 Jacob's Creek Shiraz reserve we had just finished (for perspective). Day 1 score: 84.
Anyways, we re-corked and didn't get back it until day 5. Not expecting to be able to drink it at all, we were delighted to find that it had morphed into a very agreeable GSM with none of the previous in-your-face sweetness but rather finely integrated jamminess that went quite well with food. Day 2 score: 89.
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3/4/2008 - Armando B wrote: 82 Points
Stereotypical Aussie-styled big fruit; definitely on the sweet side. Decent acid; not flabby in the manner of many poorer versions of this style. Definitely shows some heat from its 15.5% abv. Held up well over 4 days; so it should be fine for some time.
Fans of the style will like it more than I did. I bought to experiment because of the winery's good rep and the local markdown ($10). I gathered further evidence that I much more apt to like GSMs from the Rhone or Cali/Washington.
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12/28/2007 - annrick wrote: 88 Points
Lighter is style and body. Nice pretty color. Reminds me of rasperries sprinkled in white pepper. Not the typical fruit bomb from Barossa. I would buy this again.,
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3/12/2007 - godx wrote: 86 Points
Decanted for 45mins. Ruby red in colour. Nose of sour raspberries, spice, mint and toast. Basic flavour profile of ripe cherries, raspberries and maybe a hint of wood. Enjoyable mouth feel. Bitter on the lengthy finish with some heat. Nice amount of sour tannins. Much better with food. A well made wine that’s ruined by the finish.
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2/17/2007 - cmr wrote: 89 Points
Very nice all around, nice candy cherry .. reminded me of a jolly rancher a bit from time to time. Good qpr fruit bomb.
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1/27/2007 - tdet wrote:
very good wine; buy again
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1/19/2007 - vancouvermatt wrote: 91 Points
This is a food wine that deserves to be paired with grilled meats, such as a rack of lamb.
This wine displayed mild oak influence, displayed blackberry, chocolate, mineral and earth tones with a bitter dark chocolate finish. Well balanced at 15.5%. Drink now-2 years.
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1/17/2007 - eggplant wrote: 84 Points
Just ok. Lacked depth and complexity. Overly sweet.
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1/17/2007 - Nutty08 wrote: 90 Points
Needed some time to open up to get any depth at all. Cherry and subtle fruit notes on the nose. Palate is much more earthy with subtle fruit and mineral tones. Hints of leather and chocolate on a long finish. Enjoyed, but did not blend with a meal of roasted pork (my mistake), would do much better with heartier meals--BBQ and others with heavy sauces... may even overwhelm a good steak.
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12/21/2006 - otisabdul wrote: 87 Points
Purchased recently for $14. A candied-style, with sugary sweet fruit and a confected finish. Juicy and smooth. A crowd-pleaser for non-winos. Drink sooner rather than later.
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11/9/2006 - ChillyWino wrote:
Strawberry fizz, cherry, leather, mushrooms. A lighter styled wine, that has a smooth feel with a slightly acidic finish.
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10/27/2006 - Wrighty wrote: 89 Points
Looks quite dark in the glass but has a rosy red edge. Initially lots of blackcurrant and blackberry which blended with more savoury notes after 2 hours when the alcohol was more noted although not harsh, almost plump(?). At this tage there were some leather and liquorice notes coming through to add some complexity to the fruit. It has a nice soft mouthfeel which builds to a mildly spicey tannic end and then a long finish which is spoiled by a flat, almost bitter middle. The lingering end is lovely though. Medium bodied with acidity to last few years but not many. Would have probably scored higher straight away (90/91) and if it wasn't for the flat bitter spot.
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10/24/2006 - Squirreljam wrote:
Not my taste, but well made, though a touch of heat puts me off. For me, too over the top chocolate 'n cherry, too rich to match well with food.
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10/1/2006 - David Wilson wrote:
Not bad, but showing some substantial heat through the velvety fruit. I would say this is a flaw, albeit a forgivable one.
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8/20/2006 - Thilo wrote: 88 Points
Boy, the notes are all over the place on this wine! I found it to be fine, if not inspired. Color is dark garnet to the rim. Nose reveals candied plum, blackberry, spices, and a hint of creosote. On the palate, spicy plum, dark berries, and bramble mix with a decent acidity that keeps the wine fresh.
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5/3/2006 - Bobsaw wrote: 60 Points
This wine was just plain nasty, the finish was so harsh it was undrinkable. I have two other bottles....we'll see how those are. I would recommend tasting this one before buying.
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