Words from a Wine Glass

Diedrich.  It seemed such a strong name to me.  So much so I had to google it and yep, I can see why I had that feeling.  As it turns out, and I won’t bore you with the back story, in Germanic it means “ruler of the people”.  I can honestly see this wine, in a wine show, being the “ruler” in its class.  It’s proven this with its ‘rewards’.

From nose to toes this does not let up.  Richness abounds in all its wonderful facets.  It’s clearly a youngster that is destined for a place on a throne in a wine kingdom somewhere.

Quite a pretty nose and quite deceptive.  It’s inviting for sure and seems to hover in the red berry spectrum which was a surprise when I saw the deep colour.

The palate is where it shows its incredibleness (another new word maybe?).  It’s rich and bold and showy but sits in the medium to full bodied range.  Darker fruits shine here, lush juicy plumminess too, the oak is prominent but has married the fruit to produce a mighty fine partnership.  Now, this is going to sound odd for a red wine such as this but I thought I detected some acid.  It was like orange rind/zest but soft and did not detract from the wine at all.  Tannins, yep, fine and complementary to a long, lingering finish.

So, those rewards I mentioned earlier;

• Trophy, Red Wine of the Show, Orange Wine Show 2016
• Trophy, Best Shiraz of the Show, Orange Wine Show 2016
• Trophy, Red Wine of the Show, Orange Wine Show 2017
• Trophy, Best Shiraz of the Show, Orange Wine Show 2017
• Gold Medal, Orange Wine Show 2017
• Gold Medal, Orange Wine Show 2016

I think this is the perfect way to end this review.

Gartelmann Wines Website

Region: Orange, NSW     Price: $50     Source: Sample courtesy of Gartelmann Wine and Define Wine

No point in waffling on about this wine.  It is great.  Loved it.  Simple as that.

I must apologise for not being able to show you the colour of this wine.  Gee it’s deep and, if something can look lush, this can.  Rich blackberries and plums give plenty when it comes to the aromas.  This is exactly what it tastes like too…except it keeps on giving.  Fresh dark fruits galore and it fills every nook and cranny of your mouth and it doesn’t stop there.  It keeps presenting over and over again.  It’s sort of layered but it’s also nicely integrated as well but then again, complex too.  It’s a fascinating wine that had my attention for start to finish.  I wrote some notes but they looked so much like hieroglyphics not even a doctor could’ve worked them out.

This is a great wine now but the potential is endless.  I had no one to share it with and I can’t say I was disappointed (I drank it over three nights I might add).

Huntington Estate Website

Region: Mudgee, NSW     Price: $42     Source: Sample courtesy of Huntington Estate and Define Wine

Let’s be honest.  There is a lot of shiraz out there.  Heaps to pick from whether it be from the Barossa Valley (like this one), Hunter Valley, Coonawarra, Heathcote and even Tasmania (a Jimmy Watson Winner from here in 2011).  Extending that honesty, some will seem so much the same in many a punters eye.  Sometimes a shiraz comes along that actually makes you stop and think, “Whoa, hang on.  What do we have here?!”  One that makes you realise, “This has got something a bit different and I like it.”  I reckon this means so much more when it’s a shiraz from the Barossa Valley.

This is a touch under thirty bucks to buy from the website.  I think this is significant considering what you are about to read.

Lovely, lovely deep colour.  I don’t know if something can look delicious but, let me tell you, this does.  If there was anything that was obviously Barossa to me it was the aromas. Darkish fruits, pretty intense too.  Violets are present as well.  Mmmmm, looking really good so far.

It has a really good, dense, rich palate.  Black fruits, licorice/aniseed and there is something like a choc coated dark cherry flavour too.  I’ve made it sound like it’s a big wine.  It is but isn’t.  It has great fruit yet there is a certain elegance about it.  It has good length too and this is where the tannins show themselves but this told me it has a good future.  This is a bargain Barossan beauty if you ask me.

Shanahans Wines Website

Region: Barossa Valley, SA     Price: $29.95     Source: Online purchase (sort of)