A long, long time ago, I can still remember when big alcoholic red wines were being churned out at alarming rates because of an influential wine writer in the US of A who had ‘Jnr’ at the end of his name. I bought and still have some of those wines. How times, palates and views have changed.
How good is it that someone, a small producer (hats off, high fives and handshakes), is able to produce a wine with quality fruit, pack it with as much flavour as possible yet keep it real, balanced and damn drinkable at a very, very good price unlike those wines I referred to in the last paragraph.
Everything about this Shiraz spells, smells, tastes and talks…young! No doubt about it. The colour is where it all begins. The colour purple is all that needs to be said. On the nose, purple and blue fruits, fresh and rich but not overdone. Mirrored on the palate but here, there is the added flavours of darker fruits piggy-backing lighter coloured fruits all the way to the long, long finish. For me the oak and tannins are a bit obvious at the moment but, coupled with the excellent fruit, this is not going to pose a problem if you can be patient, put some in the cellar and let it collect dust.
Purely out of interest, I left some and tried this wine two days after opening it and it had hardly moved. The oak had definitely softened but the fruit hadn’t budged. I reckon this has a long and prosperous future.
Region: Mount Lofty Ranges, SA Price: $25 Source: Gift courtesy of Sandergrove Estate
