Wow, what a lovely wine. Smooth and silky with velvety (I can’t say silky again) tannins some fruit still present with loads of tertiary complexity. Almost a long finish. A
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Couldn’t get the cork out, but when I pushed it in it appeared in great condition.
Wine had a lot of bricking, hence the red color with orange elements. The most oak I have ever experienced on a nose. A turnoff but might have been worse without it. Wine had some fruit and texture, but wasn’t like a typical Aussie Shiraz.
Oh well, wasn’t expensive at all.
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Colour: still had that dark plum Shiraz. Very nice Nose: plum with sweet cherry Taste: surprisingly better than last bottle. This time, opened bottle for over an hour before pouring. Rich sweet plum smooth and delicious. Sediment was present, definitely should be decanted.
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At first, very nice sweet plum on the nose. First few sip, a slight sweet at the front and then the bitterness was apparent. After 2-3 hours it opens up very nice and tasty surprise! Not very big flavour, I would say medium but still plenty of fruit flavour. The colour is still very nice - plum dark red. It still have some life. I think it can still be nicely drunk a year or two later with proper storage.
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Wow, this is a great bottle. Rich, smooth, integrated, not overly sweet. I personally think the Hillside is better than the Block 6, and I have had plenty of each. This was amazing on the PnP and probably at the end of peak. Simply awesome for $35.
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Loving the Brothers work. Would have loved to share a bottle of this with them 100 years ago! Fruity. Quality. Glad I've still got another half dozen or so!
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Really fruity and ready to go. Also has a peppery edge, almost Zinfandel-like. Primarily composed of raspberry and pepper. The finish is a bit short, but very full and round. Nice effort, but not really worth the entry fee.
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Not sure if Fredrick or Herbert wins on this one. Both have subtle overtones. They linger. Not quite to the end. But enough to enjoy their company. Colin seems to have aged quite well. This is a quality red. Eating with seafood but want it with a massive beef roast. I got liquor ice and absolutely no mint per previous scripts. Either way I liked it.
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Drinking extremely well and a little surprised by this as I expected it to have held up less than the block 6 (very similar actually). Extremely smooth mouth feel with generous hints of dark fruits and plums from start to finish. Medium weight with some caramel cola and slight raisin on the finish. Definitely best with food that can stand up to it as it still have some of its boldness.
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Brilliant caramel nose. While still a relevant fruit bomb, this was somewhat brutish / obnoxious in it's soured acidity. This is a wine more appreciated during your sophmore stage - as I suppose most acclaimed shiraz to be. These days I'm starting to lean more towards delicacy ... which this wine exudes none of.
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After 30 min out of the bottle, it was pretty disjointed. 90 minutes out = amazing. Smooth, supple, balanced. Can't believe that this wine was so good...it's not even their highest-end Shiraz! Drink now and taste the experience.
91 points; purchased from WineBid.com for $34.50 on 1/15/2012
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Amazing aroma! Rich & fruity, with floral hints. The color is absolutely black. The texture is wonderful, smooth and round, almost chewy. Taste is subtle and balanced. Not nearly as fruity as the aroma. Taste of tar, , dried cherry, plum, and wood. I can't imagine it getting any better from where it is right now.
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Dark and brooding. The nose is pure black cherries and cherry cola. This has a wonderful mid weight mouthfeel with loads of red/black fruits. There’s hints of cassis, a nice amount of black cherry, red raspberries, some cola, some Kirsch, and some black plum pumice; notes of worn leather; espresso bean, warm river stones, hints of menthol, spice box and wet forest floor. A really pretty and evolved wine that seems in such a perfect place right now, why wait. Gorgeous balance with a near perfect finish, bringing in even darker fruits. I love it.
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Wow this wine has hit peak. Very regal with violets and minerals on the nose, black cherry, tar and cedar well balanced on the palate with a hint of menthol to provide lift. The blind guess was Aussie meets Priorat.
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This bottle was at a very nice stage in it's evolution. The color was still saturated crimson all the way to the rim. Enticing scents of red raspberry and black cherry with hints of black pepper and menthol. Plush tannins and velvety flavors of red raspberry and wild cherry. Hints of sweet tobacco in the close.
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Slightly acidic for the fruit in the bottle, slightly stewed taste as a result. I didn't get a chance to taste it the next day to see if it improved or not.
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My tasting notes align to what the last few reviewers said (with the exception of the off-bottle). This is much better than the Amery Vineyards - Non Hillside that I've consumed.
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Real old school McLaren Vale Shiraz here, with tons of black olive, dirty earth, and simple sausage complexity adding to the ripe yet not heavy, sweet, or oaky mash of black fruits. Surprisingly bright and structured for its age, this is the real deal, and evolving much more slowly than the 1999.
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The 2001 Hillside is one of my all time favorite wines. I finished my last bottle a few years ago, only to find another seven available from a cellar broker. I tried one last night, and the wine is drinking even better now. While this is a full bodied, full flavored wine, there is sense of elegance and finesse. The lush fruit flavors (cherry, black berry and raspberry) are ripe and clean, but are balanced by vibrant acidity and ultra fine tanning. There is no sense of heavyness. Long, elegant finish. Lots of complexity.
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Black cherry, loads of minerals, violets and cured meat on a structured frame. This wine is not a fruit bomb, if anything more akin to a Priorat or N Rhone. Aging very well.
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High-tone nose of smoky blackberry, tar, bitter chocolate and a strong orange peel note (with some hints of apricot and dill). Surprisingly graceful and sophisticated on the palate. Finishes long with spicy black pepper and anise. Much better than the average syrupy Shiraz and seems to have the promise of 5-7 years of positive aging.
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Tasted double blind. Dense purple color; oaky. 1st guess was Washington cab. Told that it was not U.S., I guessed very modern bdx (though this was guessing at the host's prefs a bit) or Aussie shiraz. Aussie it was. A crowd favorite but not mine, though the conditions were not good to really delve into the wine.
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Very smooth and balanced. Classic plum flavour. Very restrained (at least for an Australian wine). Extremely food friendly (It went fine with a Tuna Steak). Yummy.
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At first I thought this wine was going to be OK. At first there was a nice deep rich typical Aussie style shiraz. Then I noticed a very green fresh cut wood component. At first I could get it down.. and I really wanted this to be good. Then it became astringent. There were no varnish bubbles but slight VA. After looking at past scores for this wine and many of this genre, I feel that they don't age well at all. I really liked them in the beginning, but shutter with every cork I pull today. They are very unstable.
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just had a little to taste as it was with big group.. a very nice shiraz.. still loads of deep dark fruit big and forward.. this was a real crowd pleaser with some nice depth.
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Nice deep ruby, nose shows cherries and damp earth notes with an interesting floral element. This is quite food friendly with nice acidity supporting the ripe fruit. Not a bomb despite expectations, and more acidic than RP's note would make you believe. Nice flashy finish. On day two the nose was more earthy and the acidity more pronounced. Quite nice.
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One of the last Australians from my cellar after a big auction purge (just have some Grange now). This was a nice farewell. Spicy, sweet plums, fruitcake, a touch drying, surprising acidity and verve. Acidified? On pure objectivity this is a 90 point wine, although I have really tired of the style.
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High-tone, oak infused nose of menthol, anise, cedar and wild blackberries. Dark chocolate, creamy berry fruit and earthy tones on the palate. A strong finish that shows a little tannin and sound acids. No obvious alcohol heat. I think this needs another 2-3 years to show its best but not sure the wood and fruit will ever balance.
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Currently at its peak... drink 'em if you got 'em. Dark fruit and vanillin with some cedar notes. Tannins are smooth and there is enough acidity to stand up to food. Enjoyable with some lamb chops and sauteed mushrooms.
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Seemed out of sorts to me. Not much to rave about on the nose as it was rather subdued. On the palate, a bit more acidic than i would have expected. An odd bit of menthol highlights a rather discordant mix of flavors. Seemed to open and blossom a bit after an hour or so. Either "needs more time" or "isn't that good". With a couple more, I'll see what the next btl brings.
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Big and creamy with lots of oak. Quite pleasant and interesting floral notes, but eventually the oak got to me. I was actually finishing this off while we had some Mitchell's coconut ice cream for dessert. Oddly (sadly?) this was a pretty good combination.
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Still needs a LOT of time. Decanted for 2-3 hrs and this was ok. The next day this was incredible! Soft on the palate, long finish. Must like Aussie wines to enjoy this...
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Dark purple with loads of sediment. The nose is rather restrained, but eventually yielded notes of violets and mint intermixed with the darker fruit. The palate was equally dark and brooding, backed by a mineral/ slate note. 3+ hours of decanting is recommended.
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Blueberry, black cherry, charcoal and slate. Pretty perfume hovers above everything else. Black fruit, mineral and charcoal carry throguh on and extremely long finish. Drinking great!
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86;83. Light, clear but thick. Nose: initially big, clear fruit, both red and dark, later soft, candied cherries. Soft entry and fat low middle and a good tannic finish. Good balance. Palate is lively and spicy with black cherries, licorice and violets. fresh but with a lot of dark flavors. Good tannic finish and a medium long aftertaste that has fresh fruit with some toast, licorice and violets. It is an excellent wine with nothing wron with it but it does not move me even though it is getting better with more air.
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Drinking extremely well right now. Full dark fruit flavors complemented by a slight anise/smokiness that added to the complexity. Long, satisfying finish. The wine is drinking the best it has been since release.
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Dark, impenetrably purple color. Massive nose of tar, licorice, camphor, BBQ smokeyness and tons of black berry fruit. Smooth, super-soft on the palate. Fine, sweet tannins and a superb, long finish. Despite the massive nature of this wine, it has good underlying acidity and structure and went awesome with Braised Wild Boar Ribs and Belgian Endive Salad last night. 14.1% alc.
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Big dark purple fruit and spice with a great finish. Very tight. Over several hours, it improved and gained weight but then turned a little bitter on the finish. I felt like she never really opened up properly, so give it another 6 months.
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Wow, this is a nice step up from the Amery Shiraz. I popped and poured with no decanting, instead opting to enjoy two glasses very slowly and let them develop in the glass. I'm eager to see what the remaining 2/3-bottle does tomorrow. The nose shows woodsmoke, blueberry, some medicial smells of eucalyptus, pepper, soaring violet and blueberry. Lovely! However, the high point of this wine is the stunningly expansive entry, as this wine just fills your mouth and attacks every millimeter of your palate with dark, medicinal flavors intermingled with juicy blackberry, all layered over a very powerful structure and spiced with sweet American oak. This doesn't show the sweet attack of a Marquis Phillips, rather this shows lovely balance, brooding and power in a much more elegant and reserved way. However, this IS an Aussie after all, and compared to wines from other realms this certainly smacks you over the heads with a blast of fruit and structure and surprisingly lively acid.
The longer I sit with this wine, the more I enjoy it and the more complexity and length it reveals. This stuff really has serious depth to it. I can barely imagine what the Block 6 will be like when I eventually get around to that! DAY 2: This has smoothed out even more with a day of air and still shows very nice purity of fruit with much more integration of wood. I actually liked it more on day 1 than day 2, but it is lovely stuff, surprisingly lithe and powerful.
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3/3/2024 - andrew.cameron Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wow, what a lovely wine. Smooth and silky with velvety (I can’t say silky again) tannins some fruit still present with loads of tertiary complexity. Almost a long finish. A
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7/6/2019 - PMJak11 Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Over the hill. Drinkable, but past it’s prime.
Couldn’t get the cork out, but when I pushed it in it appeared in great condition.
Wine had a lot of bricking, hence the red color with orange elements. The most oak I have ever experienced on a nose. A turnoff but might have been worse without it. Wine had some fruit and texture, but wasn’t like a typical Aussie Shiraz.
Oh well, wasn’t expensive at all.
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10/5/2018 - WineHors Likes this wine:
Colour: still had that dark plum Shiraz. Very nice
Nose: plum with sweet cherry
Taste: surprisingly better than last bottle.
This time, opened bottle for over an hour before pouring. Rich sweet plum smooth and delicious.
Sediment was present, definitely should be decanted.
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11/28/2017 - M DU VIN Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nice fruit and long finish. Holding up very nicely. IMO has at least another five years of very fine drinking.
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8/4/2017 - WineHors Likes this wine: 94 Points
At first, very nice sweet plum on the nose. First few sip, a slight sweet at the front and then the bitterness was apparent. After 2-3 hours it opens up very nice and tasty surprise! Not very big flavour, I would say medium but still plenty of fruit flavour.
The colour is still very nice - plum dark red.
It still have some life. I think it can still be nicely drunk a year or two later with proper storage.
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7/19/2017 - tlm66 wrote:
Faded but bit of fruit and spice left. Have not had anything from MV this old so not bad for age and price. Good experience.
Update: after 3+ hrs, depth, flavor, and complexity improved. Welcome surprise!!
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3/14/2017 - ctjared Likes this wine:
drinking very well. some fruit still and a nice long finish.
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3/14/2016 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine: 89 Points
Still drinking nicely, with muted fruit notes. Not yet past its prime, but don't wait much longer.
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1/31/2016 - WStucker wrote: 92 Points
Near or at end of peak, was great with 10 min of air. declined after about 2 hours of air. Consume over the next 3 years.
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2/13/2015 - smcilhen Likes this wine:
Wow, this is a great bottle. Rich, smooth, integrated, not overly sweet. I personally think the Hillside is better than the Block 6, and I have had plenty of each. This was amazing on the PnP and probably at the end of peak. Simply awesome for $35.
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9/9/2014 - ctjared Likes this wine:
Substantially better then previous. Needs air to open, which reveals nice balance of dark fruit and tannins. medium to long finish.
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4/20/2014 - cshall wrote: 92 Points
Loved it. Fave of mine. Second bottle of night. Could have been first. Next time. These brothers rock. Only one of mine does.
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11/17/2013 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine is in good place right now. Reaching the pop and pour stage. Tannins are gone and fruit is delicious but not plush. Drink up!
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4/6/2013 - cshall wrote: 92 Points
Loving the Brothers work. Would have loved to share a bottle of this with them 100 years ago! Fruity. Quality. Glad I've still got another half dozen or so!
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1/31/2013 - jonradus wrote: 86 Points
Really fruity and ready to go. Also has a peppery edge, almost Zinfandel-like. Primarily composed of raspberry and pepper. The finish is a bit short, but very full and round. Nice effort, but not really worth the entry fee.
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11/26/2012 - pricseno wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful! Yummy long finish...wish we had more!!
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9/16/2012 - cshall wrote: 91 Points
Not sure if Fredrick or Herbert wins on this one. Both have subtle overtones. They linger. Not quite to the end. But enough to enjoy their company. Colin seems to have aged quite well. This is a quality red. Eating with seafood but want it with a massive beef roast. I got liquor ice and absolutely no mint per previous scripts. Either way I liked it.
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7/22/2012 - Scruff wrote:
Drinking extremely well and a little surprised by this as I expected it to have held up less than the block 6 (very similar actually). Extremely smooth mouth feel with generous hints of dark fruits and plums from start to finish. Medium weight with some caramel cola and slight raisin on the finish. Definitely best with food that can stand up to it as it still have some of its boldness.
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5/24/2012 - fitchbuck wrote: 91 Points
Brilliant caramel nose. While still a relevant fruit bomb, this was somewhat brutish / obnoxious in it's soured acidity. This is a wine more appreciated during your sophmore stage - as I suppose most acclaimed shiraz to be. These days I'm starting to lean more towards delicacy ... which this wine exudes none of.
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3/16/2012 - smcilhen Likes this wine: 91 Points
After 30 min out of the bottle, it was pretty disjointed. 90 minutes out = amazing. Smooth, supple, balanced. Can't believe that this wine was so good...it's not even their highest-end Shiraz! Drink now and taste the experience.
91 points; purchased from WineBid.com for $34.50 on 1/15/2012
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1/23/2012 - shk5157 wrote: 87 Points
thought it was slightly off; cork was fine, but the fruit was overly raisiny
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11/27/2011 - arthrovine wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful fruit. Lots of flavors and medium viscosity. A little palate-fatiguing. Finish is 90+ seconds.
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11/6/2011 - lshantz wrote: 95 Points
Amazing aroma! Rich & fruity, with floral hints. The color is absolutely black. The texture is wonderful, smooth and round, almost chewy. Taste is subtle and balanced. Not nearly as fruity as the aroma. Taste of tar, , dried cherry, plum, and wood. I can't imagine it getting any better from where it is right now.
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4/26/2011 - ctjared wrote:
Didnt get what the rave reviewers got on this one. Seemed dumb with almost no fruit. Hoping it was bottle variation.
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4/16/2011 - King Cab wrote: 94 Points
Dark and brooding. The nose is pure black cherries and cherry cola. This has a wonderful mid weight mouthfeel with loads of red/black fruits. There’s hints of cassis, a nice amount of black cherry, red raspberries, some cola, some Kirsch, and some black plum pumice; notes of worn leather; espresso bean, warm river stones, hints of menthol, spice box and wet forest floor. A really pretty and evolved wine that seems in such a perfect place right now, why wait. Gorgeous balance with a near perfect finish, bringing in even darker fruits. I love it.
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1/8/2011 - keepitreal wrote: 86 Points
Black cherries, minerals and earth, menthol and a little meat....however, the oak is a little overbearing. Nice wine if you want a big hammer.
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12/21/2010 - rmodak wrote: 93 Points
Wow this wine has hit peak. Very regal with violets and minerals on the nose, black cherry, tar and cedar well balanced on the palate with a hint of menthol to provide lift. The blind guess was Aussie meets Priorat.
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11/2/2010 - stocksandbondage wrote: 92 Points
This bottle was at a very nice stage in it's evolution. The color was still saturated crimson all the way to the rim. Enticing scents of red raspberry and black cherry with hints of black pepper and menthol. Plush tannins and velvety flavors of red raspberry and wild cherry. Hints of sweet tobacco in the close.
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10/17/2010 - lshantz wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic! Raspberry, tar, cedar! Wonderfully balanced, hardy, and chewy.
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9/5/2010 - pizzler wrote: 86 Points
Slightly acidic for the fruit in the bottle, slightly stewed taste as a result. I didn't get a chance to taste it the next day to see if it improved or not.
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7/27/2010 - petermpls wrote: 92 Points
My tasting notes align to what the last few reviewers said (with the exception of the off-bottle). This is much better than the Amery Vineyards - Non Hillside that I've consumed.
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4/23/2010 - tcfishler wrote:
Real old school McLaren Vale Shiraz here, with tons of black olive, dirty earth, and simple sausage complexity adding to the ripe yet not heavy, sweet, or oaky mash of black fruits. Surprisingly bright and structured for its age, this is the real deal, and evolving much more slowly than the 1999.
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1/9/2010 - stocksandbondage wrote: 88 Points
Not up to the level of prior examples of this wine. Les velvety, hotter and more pruny.
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12/18/2009 - stocksandbondage wrote: 92 Points
Always a great bottle of wine, and this one didn't dissapoint. Silky smooth tannins. Ready to drink.
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8/11/2009 - stocksandbondage wrote: 96 Points
The 2001 Hillside is one of my all time favorite wines. I finished my last bottle a few years ago, only to find another seven available from a cellar broker. I tried one last night, and the wine is drinking even better now. While this is a full bodied, full flavored wine, there is sense of elegance and finesse. The lush fruit flavors (cherry, black berry and raspberry) are ripe and clean, but are balanced by vibrant acidity and ultra fine tanning. There is no sense of heavyness. Long, elegant finish. Lots of complexity.
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8/6/2009 - vanpe003 wrote: 92 Points
Much, much better than my last bottle. Medium heavy in weight. There's a note of pine resin that gives the finish an interesting lift if brightness.
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8/4/2009 - pgordon62 wrote: flawed
A leaker. Unfortunately oxidized.
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5/24/2009 - rmodak wrote: 91 Points
Black cherry, loads of minerals, violets and cured meat on a structured frame. This wine is not a fruit bomb, if anything more akin to a Priorat or N Rhone. Aging very well.
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4/6/2009 - pgordon62 wrote: 90 Points
High-tone nose of smoky blackberry, tar, bitter chocolate and a strong orange peel note (with some hints of apricot and dill). Surprisingly graceful and sophisticated on the palate. Finishes long with spicy black pepper and anise. Much better than the average syrupy Shiraz and seems to have the promise of 5-7 years of positive aging.
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3/2/2009 - amateurwino wrote: 88 Points
Tasted double blind. Dense purple color; oaky. 1st guess was Washington cab. Told that it was not U.S., I guessed very modern bdx (though this was guessing at the host's prefs a bit) or Aussie shiraz. Aussie it was. A crowd favorite but not mine, though the conditions were not good to really delve into the wine.
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1/6/2009 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Excellent McLaren Vale shiraz, Not over the top, very enjoyable.
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8/28/2008 - jsherdc wrote: 93 Points
Very smooth and balanced. Classic plum flavour. Very restrained (at least for an Australian wine). Extremely food friendly (It went fine with a Tuna Steak). Yummy.
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7/20/2008 - Charlie Carnes wrote: flawed
At first I thought this wine was going to be OK. At first there was a nice deep rich typical Aussie style shiraz. Then I noticed a very green fresh cut wood component. At first I could get it down.. and I really wanted this to be good. Then it became astringent. There were no varnish bubbles but slight VA. After looking at past scores for this wine and many of this genre, I feel that they don't age well at all. I really liked them in the beginning, but shutter with every cork I pull today. They are very unstable.
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2/27/2008 - budman wrote: 91 Points
Excellent dark fruit.
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1/5/2008 - SteveHoch wrote: 90 Points
just had a little to taste as it was with big group.. a very nice shiraz.. still loads of deep dark fruit big and forward.. this was a real crowd pleaser with some nice depth.
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1/1/2008 - ron m wrote:
Nice deep ruby, nose shows cherries and damp earth notes with an interesting floral element. This is quite food friendly with nice acidity supporting the ripe fruit. Not a bomb despite expectations, and more acidic than RP's note would make you believe. Nice flashy finish. On day two the nose was more earthy and the acidity more pronounced. Quite nice.
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11/16/2007 - Eric wrote: 90 Points
One of the last Australians from my cellar after a big auction purge (just have some Grange now). This was a nice farewell. Spicy, sweet plums, fruitcake, a touch drying, surprising acidity and verve. Acidified? On pure objectivity this is a 90 point wine, although I have really tired of the style.
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8/28/2007 - pgordon62 wrote: 90 Points
High-tone, oak infused nose of menthol, anise, cedar and wild blackberries. Dark chocolate, creamy berry fruit and earthy tones on the palate. A strong finish that shows a little tannin and sound acids. No obvious alcohol heat. I think this needs another 2-3 years to show its best but not sure the wood and fruit will ever balance.
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8/19/2007 - FakeAccount wrote: 91 Points
Currently at its peak... drink 'em if you got 'em. Dark fruit and vanillin with some cedar notes. Tannins are smooth and there is enough acidity to stand up to food. Enjoyable with some lamb chops and sauteed mushrooms.
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7/22/2007 - rmodak wrote: 90 Points
Blackberry, menthol, with integrated tannins and decent mineral notes that take it a step above average Shiraz. Drink now and over the next few years.
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7/6/2007 - vanpe003 wrote: 87 Points
Seemed out of sorts to me. Not much to rave about on the nose as it was rather subdued. On the palate, a bit more acidic than i would have expected. An odd bit of menthol highlights a rather discordant mix of flavors. Seemed to open and blossom a bit after an hour or so. Either "needs more time" or "isn't that good". With a couple more, I'll see what the next btl brings.
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6/17/2007 - jerhardt wrote: 90 Points
Significantly better than the '02 I had not so long ago. More balanced and less oak dominated, but still a bit of heat showing through.
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5/28/2007 - jerhardt wrote: 90 Points
Big and creamy with lots of oak. Quite pleasant and interesting floral notes, but eventually the oak got to me. I was actually finishing this off while we had some Mitchell's coconut ice cream for dessert. Oddly (sadly?) this was a pretty good combination.
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4/22/2007 - elevitan wrote: 93 Points
Still needs a LOT of time. Decanted for 2-3 hrs and this was ok. The next day this was incredible! Soft on the palate, long finish. Must like Aussie wines to enjoy this...
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12/23/2006 - jerhardt wrote: 89 Points
Dark purple with loads of sediment. The nose is rather restrained, but eventually yielded notes of violets and mint intermixed with the darker fruit. The palate was equally dark and brooding, backed by a mineral/ slate note. 3+ hours of decanting is recommended.
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12/18/2006 - tskrueger wrote: 91 Points
Blueberry, black cherry, charcoal and slate. Pretty perfume hovers above everything else. Black fruit, mineral and charcoal carry throguh on and extremely long finish. Drinking great!
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11/21/2006 - phenricsson wrote: 93 Points
86;83. Light, clear but thick. Nose: initially big, clear fruit, both red and dark, later soft, candied cherries. Soft entry and fat low middle and a good tannic finish. Good balance. Palate is lively and spicy with black cherries, licorice and violets. fresh but with a lot of dark flavors. Good tannic finish and a medium long aftertaste that has fresh fruit with some toast, licorice and violets. It is an excellent wine with nothing wron with it but it does not move me even though it is getting better with more air.
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10/25/2006 - FakeAccount wrote: 93 Points
Drinking extremely well right now. Full dark fruit flavors complemented by a slight anise/smokiness that added to the complexity. Long, satisfying finish. The wine is drinking the best it has been since release.
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5/25/2006 - rmodak wrote: 92 Points
Drank over 2 days and better the 2nd day. Anise, smoke, black cherry, long rich finish. Drinking great.
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1/28/2006 - steffenpelz wrote: 94 Points
Dark, impenetrably purple color. Massive nose of tar, licorice, camphor, BBQ smokeyness and tons of black berry fruit. Smooth, super-soft on the palate. Fine, sweet tannins and a superb, long finish. Despite the massive nature of this wine, it has good underlying acidity and structure and went awesome with Braised Wild Boar Ribs and Belgian Endive Salad last night. 14.1% alc.
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12/22/2005 - GlenD wrote: 93 Points
Big dark purple fruit and spice with a great finish. Very tight. Over several hours, it improved and gained weight but then turned a little bitter on the finish. I felt like she never really opened up properly, so give it another 6 months.
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4/14/2004 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
Wow, this is a nice step up from the Amery Shiraz. I popped and poured with no decanting, instead opting to enjoy two glasses very slowly and let them develop in the glass. I'm eager to see what the remaining 2/3-bottle does tomorrow. The nose shows woodsmoke, blueberry, some medicial smells of eucalyptus, pepper, soaring violet and blueberry. Lovely! However, the high point of this wine is the stunningly expansive entry, as this wine just fills your mouth and attacks every millimeter of your palate with dark, medicinal flavors intermingled with juicy blackberry, all layered over a very powerful structure and spiced with sweet American oak. This doesn't show the sweet attack of a Marquis Phillips, rather this shows lovely balance, brooding and power in a much more elegant and reserved way. However, this IS an Aussie after all, and compared to wines from other realms this certainly smacks you over the heads with a blast of fruit and structure and surprisingly lively acid.
The longer I sit with this wine, the more I enjoy it and the more complexity and length it reveals. This stuff really has serious depth to it. I can barely imagine what the Block 6 will be like when I eventually get around to that!
DAY 2: This has smoothed out even more with a day of air and still shows very nice purity of fruit with much more integration of wood. I actually liked it more on day 1 than day 2, but it is lovely stuff, surprisingly lithe and powerful.
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