Barossa Valley

This is the top wine from this producer and in a recent blind tasting of Barossa Shiraz it was a virtual unanimous wine of the night.  Inky purple in color, op0aque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, slight black olive, and a hint of clay.  On the palate, this is bright, not jammy, and delicious.  Notes of black raspberries, with some coffee grounds and a hint of spice.  Light tannins.  Long finish.  At age 13, this seems younger, and should go another twenty years.  Great on its own, this should work well with Cassoulet.  

Purple in color with ruby hues, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, clay and spice.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries, black cherries and slight alcohol note.  14.5% abv.  Drinking well now and should continue for another five to eight years.  Good on its own, this will work with bigger foods or even Meatloaf.  

Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, spice and slight cedar.  With air, a slight cocoa note emerges.  On the palate, this is jammy black raspberries.  Very tasty.  Nice texture.  Good finish.  This drinks well on its own and will work with grilled meats.  A burger would be nice.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

Nice to get a chance to revisit this with some serious age on it.  The last time I tried it in 2014, it was great but young.  Purple in color, ruby swirls, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, leather and black pepper.  Velvety texture.  This seems fully mature.  Complex.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this has black raspberries, some char, a bit of earthy funk and black pepper.  A bit sweet on the finish.  This is everything one wants in a mature Syrah.  Great on its own, this will work better with food.  It would work well with Lamb Curry.  

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 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

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).  

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.

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.