Australia

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

Inky purple in color.  The nose has sweet black raspberries, slightly dusty.  On the palate, this is jammy black raspberries.  Medium tannins.  Thsi makes very easy drinking and while not over the top, this is more about instant enjoyment than depth and complexity.  Will need big, strong food to pair with but will drink well on its own.  Sure to be a crowd favorite.  Drink in the next five years.  $30 retail.  

Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, saw dust and clay.  On the palate, this has tart acidity.  Black cherry notes.  Slight tannins and a sour, but long finish.  This did improve with air, so it likely will improve with a bit of bottle age.  Needs bold food to pair with.  $30 retail.  The sum is better than the parts here.  

This bottle was drinking quite well at 3 years from vintage.  Light gold/green in color.  The nose is expressive; sugary with some honey dew melon.  On the palate, this is dry.  On the palate, this is dry.  Some lemon pith.  Just a bit of depth.  Round.  Very clean.  Nice.  Would work with lighter foods and makes a very nice starter wine.  $20 retail is a good value.  Drink now.  

This was a very popular wine among friends.  Inky purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, roasted herbs, slight roasted meats and black pepper.  On the palate, juicy black raspberry fruit.  Slightly jammy.  A bit sweet.  "Old school" Australian Shiraz but within reason.  Not over blown for the style.  This will need big and/or spicy food.  It also works very nice as a cocktail wine.  Available at Nakedwines.com.

First these were super popular and then you couldn't give them away.  The fact is, there are some excellent Australian Shiraz and many of the cellar just fine.  If you liked them young, you will probably like them with some age.  At age 16, this one is humming along and drinking great.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black raspberries.

This was a treat and a new one for me.  Iced Tea in color.  The nose has a lot of alcohol.  When you get past that there is a lovely caramel.  It is sweet but not cloying.  Much smoother and better on the palate.  Caramel and some chocolate.  Warm not hot on the finish.  

This is a classic big Australian export wine.  Its a blend of Shiraz and Cabernet and really goes well on a cold winter's day.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has some black cherry cough syrup, black raspberries and black pepper.  On the palate, this is ripe with black cherry and black raspberry fruit.  It is warming but not hot.  Nice texture.  Tons of fruit.  Its about pleasure not contemplation.  Long finish.  Certainly not for every one, but I like it at the right time.  

This was opened at a blind tasting and I think the entire table guessed correctly what it was.  Certainly a distinctive wine.  Purple in color.  The nose has black olives, green olives and black cherries.  Nice enough.  On the palate, this is sweet and almost cloying.  Black raspberry fruit.  I had not had it in about 4 years and it hasn't held up that well (or it is in a bad spot right now).  It is certainly drinkable but given the price...  Some liked it more than I.  

My friend Chris opened this for us.  He has had it since release.  It had been opened earlier in the day and given air.  This is still quite young but with air, it was superb.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, cedar, eucalyptus/mint and slight fresh tobacco.  Full bodied.  Great texture.  On the palate, there is a lot of fruit.  The cassis carries thru along with the eucalyptus.  Also some coffee and hints of dill.  Complex.  Great with food.  Not at all the kind of wine one thinks about as coming from Australia yet it seems to show its sense of place.  Quite a treat.  Impressive.  

Purple in color.  The nose is dusty with some black raspberries and coffee.  On the palate, slight tannins with ripe black cherries.  Slight heat on the finish, but overall this is good and a nice value.  These wines tend to last up to a decade or more if well stored.