92 points
Drinking very well now and probably not a keeper for much longer. Developed nose of a bit of tobacco and coffee with some red fruits. The palate is very smooth, with lots of soft tannins (and a lot of sediment). Very long in the mouth without being powerful. Thanks Damien!
91 points
This wine surprised me in that it wasn’t over the top in alcohol and wood as I expected. A ‘cellar release’ from Dan Murphy’s it had the right combination of Shiraz starting to develop layered complexity, almost a Bordeaux-like leafiness with the Shiraz berry (not pruney or cooked fruit). I am going to go back and buy a few more at $25.
88 points
A wine from Aniane near Montpellier in the Languedoc made by one of the ‘new’ vineyards. A richly flavoured wine, but lacking some complexity. Ripe Grenache and Carignane spiciness with balanced alcohol (14%) given the fruit. Also lacking some of the thick tannins I like in these wines, but a very nice change from Australian.
87 points
After Byron’s post regarding a pretty poor bottle of Chapel Hill blend, I found this one on the shelf. I am not sure what the price is, since I think it was a gift. I found the wine to be very drinkable and not so overt in added acid. The nose is a bit too rich in American oak for my taste but after an hour or so it was much less pronounced. The wine itself is rather tannic without being too extracted with a long finish. It is not as big a wine as many from McLaren Vale. It didn’t have the chocolatey overtones- much more a berry-based wine with only 13.5% alcohol.
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