Australia

• Adelaide HIlls
• Barossa Valley
• Coonawarra
• Geelong
• Margaret River
• McLaren Vale
• Mudgee
• South Australia
• Victoria
• Yarra Valley

One of the better Shiraz out there.  At 12 years from vintage, this was in a beautiful place.  It is still youthful and will easily go another decade or more.  Inky purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, iodine, black pepper, violets and slight grilled meats. On the palate, this has a lovely texture; glycerin and full bodied but with good acidity that cuts through.  Lots of black raspberry fruit, light tannins and underlying minerality.  Worked well with food.  Nice finish.  Proof that at least some of the huge Shiraz bombs will stand the test of time.  

Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries and black olives.  On the palate, this is very Northern Rhonish.  Black raspberry, nice depth.  Some complexity.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  Long finish.  This needs time and there is a chance for upside improvement.  Right now it is a big, energetic young wine.  It will need bigger (meaty) to pair with.

Purple in color.  The nose is very tight.  With air, black raspberry jam and some spice.  On the palate, this has a lot of black raspberry fruit but the finish is a bit clipped.  Soft texture.  OK finish.  This is a very solid wine, but it is having some trouble ageing.  It retailed for $70 on release and was probably a bit better back then.  Perhaps some slow airing will give it some time to come together.  It needs big meat dishes for food pairings.  

Inky purple in color and shiny bright.  The nose has clay and black raspberries.  On the palate, this is tight but with air, it unwinds in the glass.  Black raspberry fruit.  Slight tannins.  Nice finish.  Needs bigger foods.  This retails for $55.  It needs a couple more years to settle down or give it a few years of a decant.  

Purple in color but a bit flat, ruby at the rim.  The nose is tight at first, then shows a bit of aquarium notes.  To me this seems to be from extended shelving in a retail setting (not sure why).  On the palate, I found this a bit tired but a nice wine.  Black raspberry fruit.  Good balance.  OK finish.  To me, this seemed like a good wine if a bit past prime.  But, this was consumed as part of a larger blind tasting of Australian Shiraz.  Whereas, I may have found it lacking a bit, the group thought it was their Wine of the Night including two first and one second place votes.  Wine is su

Inky purple in color, shiny and bright.  The nose has black raspberries and clay.  Someone mentioned butterscotch and that works as well.  On the palate, this has lots of black raspberry fruit and a "sandpaper" taste, if that makes sense.  Good finish.  Overall, this has a lot of fruit and oak, but if that is ok with you, this is a nice wine.  It needs bigger foods to pair with.  

Inky purple in color.  The nose is very tight on this.  With time, blueberries and black raspberries with slight saw dust notes.  On the palate, this has plums and black raspberries.  Very smooth with little tannins.  Good balance.  Easy drinking.  This retails for $20 and is a good value and nice for parties.  It would work with bigger or meat based dishes.  

Purple, ruby at the rim.  There is a bit of barnyard funk here.  Also some black raspberry fruit.  On the palate, there are firm tannins in this young wine, but there is also a nice silkiness to the texture.  Black cherry fruit.    Good balance.  This will work with bigger foods.  This retails for $20 and is an excellent value.  A little air will help at this point or some short term cellaring (3 years).  

Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with black raspberries and black olives.  On the palate, there is some complexity here.  Juicy acidity.  Tart black cherry fruit.  Some heat.  Medium bodied.  This retails for $19 which is a very nice value.  This would work for BBQ or other bigger foods.  

Excellent wine.  This has really developed and while showing some signs of age at 15, there is plenty of life left.  Purple in color, some browning at the edges.  The nose has black raspberries and black pepper.  nice and not overblown.  On the palate, there is some layering of black raspberry fruit with char and slight pepper.  Nice texture.  Good finish.  This will work with larger or spicy foods quite well.  Good finish.  Right now, this is a very pretty wine and one that all Syrah lovers could find some enjoyment from.