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Overall impressions: this was kind of a mixed bag of currently available (well, at Winex, anyway) Aussies. The flight was evenly split with late arriving '01s, and early arriving '02s - along with a very unusual '98 and a pricey '99. The lone Brokenwood that was included in this flight was absolutely stunning! Barely a notch down was the Alices Shiraz from Greenock Creek, and the Moritz Syrah from Clarendon Hills. But the giant killer nestled in this trio was the Willows Shiraz from Barossa. At $30, and from a great '98 vintage, this is the killer deal in the flight. I'd have been satisfied just to have found this one. But actually, the deals didn't stop there. The Ross Estate, Possums, Serafino, and Longwood were all fabulous - and all under $30. Many of these wines are well-oaked, so if you're an oakaphobe, be forewarned. No real surprises here, other than I was less enamored with this vintage (or bottle) of the Clarendon Hills Old Vines Grenache. |
2001 Leasingham Shiraz/Cabernet Magnus - Claire Valley. $8.99. Dark ruby color. Fruity, with light oaky nose, and a touch of cedar. Moderate mouthfeel, obvious oak on the palate, moderately fruity with a medium long finish. Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B 2002
Yalumba m/g/s - Barossa. $26.99. Very dark ruby color.
Somewhat closed in the nose, with traces of oak, clove, and cedar.
Rich and fruity in mouthfeel, off-sweet - almost macerated-like
fruit, with a very long finish. Nicely made - could be a real sleeper. 2002
Clarendon Hills Grenache Old Vines - Blewitt Springs Vnyd.
$46.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Nose of wild raspberry, licorice,
with a touch of funky/herbal/animal scent, along with the characteristic
old viney aroma. Sweet mouthfeel - almost liqueur-like in
intensity, with a sweet core of fruit, and long smooth finish. I
usually go crazy over this bottling. This time through, it seemed
a little less exciting. 2001
Penfolds Cabernet/Shiraz Bin 389 - South Australia. $17.99.
Dark ruby garnet color. Fruity, with a touch of lettuce, herbs,
and mint/eucalyptus. Slightly sweet and macerated mouthfeel, the
wine is cleanly made and comes across as correct, but also seems
a bit underfilled. 2002
Killibinbin Cabernet Sauvignon - Langhorne Creek. $26.99. Dark
ruby color. Spicy, vanilla creme nose, with lots of cherry, black
cherry and toast. Macerated off-sweet mouthfeel, nice core of fruit,
and a very long finish. 2002
Rosemount Shiraz Hill of Gold - Mudgee. $12.99. Dark
ruby color. Obvious cough medicine-like scent to the otherwies spicy
and fruity nose. Spicy mouthfeel, moderate coverage of fruit, moderate
finish. Although this won't be mistaken for a fruit bomb, it is
a more than decent quaffer. 2001
Serafino Shiraz - McLaren Vale. $17.99. Dark ruby color.
Effusive and fruity nose, with lots of blackberry and spice, along
with a nice minty black cherry scent. Off-sweet mouthfeel, with
lots of fruit, chocolate, and pepper - altogether quite nice! 2002
Longwood Shiraz - McLaren Vale. $21.99. Very dark ruby color.
Nose of espresso and herbs, and seems packed with fruit. Big and
chewy mouthfeel, lots of macerated black and red fruit, very long
tasty, if slightly soft finish. Another sleeper? 2000
Best's Great Western Shiraz Bin 0. $24.99. Dark ruby
color. Nose of dark fruit, with just a hint of paint thinner or
petrol showing through. Off-sweet/sour fruit on the palate, nice
core of fruit, though it seems a bit disjointed at mid-palate, and
shows just a bit of heat through the long finish. 2001
Ross Estate Shiraz Reserve - Barossa Valley. $24.99.
Very, very dark ruby color. Loaded with black fruit, chocolate,
and herbs - this wine just smells big! Chewy, slightly sweet fruit,
with lots of chocolate and coffee flavors, just a hint of bacon,
and a tasty long finish. Very nice! 2001
Brothers in Arms Shiraz - Langhorne Creek . $31.99.
Dark ruby color. Earthy and oaky in the nose, with lighter tones
of dark fruit and toast. Sweet-sour taste, very chewy mouthfeel,
spicy flavors with obviously mouth-clinging tannins, and very long
mouthcoating finish. Knife and fork are optional here. 2001
Kilikanoon Shiraz Parable - McLaren Vale. $28.99. Very
dark ruby color. Nose of
dark fruit, toasty
oak, coffee, and espresso. Almost crunchy mouthfeel, with tons of
fruit that continues to pump on through the very long finish. Although
slightly less interesting in the nose, the taste and mouthfeel more
than make up for it. |
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2002
Possums Vineyard Shiraz - McLaren Vale. $28.99.
Very, very dark ruby color. Initially, some funky aromas in the
nose, with added scents of dark fruit, espresso, oak, and earthy
tones underneath. The funk seems to blow-off, or otherwise integrate
very nicely. Huge mouthfeel, off-sweet fruit, very long tasty finish.
Very nice effort! 2002
Killibinbin Shiraz - Langhorne Creek. $31.99. Dark ruby garnet
color. Nose of blackberry and vanilla-infused clove, with a touch
of toast, taffy and chocolate toffee. Clean and chewy fruit from
beginning to mid-palate, the wine smooths out to a softer mid-to-latter
palate, and a long finish. 1998
The Willows Vineyard Shiraz - Barossa Valley. $29.99. Very dark
ruby color. Deep aromas of aged hardwoods, spicy fruit, a trace
of earthy scents, and even a bit of petrol. Slightly sweet mouthfeel,
with a tasty mocha, chocolate, and coffee taste, and very long finish.
Whoa! The word was that this was originally a more expensive offering
that didn't move. Obviously, the additional bottle age has smoothed
out this wine, and the final result is very nice. 2002
Clarendon Hills Syrah - Moritz Vnyd. $53.99. Dark ruby garnet
color. Nose of dark fruit, olive, black pepper, coffee, and Jalapeño(!).
Very tasty mouthfeel, with interesting green and black olive flavors
that compliment the fruit. Full bodied and well-balanced, tasty,
and complex. Very nice! 2001
Brokenwood Shiraz - Graveyard Vnyd, Hunter Valley. $62.99. Medium
dark ruby color. The surprisingly light color might lead you astray,
but the stunning nose of creme brulee, rose petal, lavender, sage,
and tons of dark fruit will turn your head. Very chewy mouthfeel,
beautifully integrated flavors and textures, peppery and spicy dark
fruit, with touches of toast, hardwoods, and roasted meat. Absolutely
beautiful! 1999
Wolf Blass Shiraz Platinum Label - Barossa. $69.99. Very
dark ruby in color. Hi-toned and somewhat peppery, the oak is obvious,
but very well integrated. Peppery and spicy mouthfeel, at once subtle
- yet surprisingly complex. 2001
Greenock Creek Shiraz Alices - Barossa Valley. $49.99.
Very very dark ruby color. The nose is a compote of dark fruit,
with sweet floral aromas,and toasty background notes. Huge mouthfull
of concentrated slightly sweet fruit, just a touch peppery, nearly
perfect balance, and a very very long finish. Excellent! NV
R.L. Buller & Son Fine Muscat - Victoria. $11.99 (375ml).
Medium amber-garnet color. Loads of candied citrus in the nose.
Sweet caramel and pecan flavors in the thick and chewy mouthfeel.
Excellent balance and very long finish. |
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© 1993 - 2004, Eric Anderson - All rights reserved |