Half Dozen Shiraz from OZ

talian wines paved the way for my wine education, but last night my friend Eric Guido provided a detour for me: A blind tasting of six Australian wines from the famed Barossa Valley. All six were reds and either 100% Shiraz or a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The bottles ranged in price from about $20 to $100, the labels were covered with aluminum foil and the six were separated into two flights of three. Three wines were from the Yalumba Vineyard and three were picked from Erics's cellar.

Flight 1

Penfolds RWT 2003
Creamy cherry aromas with a slight indication of citrus rinds and roasted meats, on the palate flashes of raisins and ripe cherries, the alcohol is evident at first but after a few hours starts to open nicely.

Yalumba The Scribbler 2008
65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Shiraz showing aromas of oak, raw wood and ripe cherries while on the palate hints of violets, black pepper and a spicy intensity.

Yalumba Signature 2004
54% Cabernet Sauvignon and 46% Shiraz, acute floral aromas coalesce in a bouquet of rich violets and red licorice while contrasting earth and mushrooms and even a sign of meat and oak. Flavors of candy apple, noticeably aged and fresh all at once, well balanced, long smooth finish, stylish and elegant. This wine was my overall favorite by far, and the majority of tasters agreed.

Flight 2

Yalumba Patchwork Shiraz 2008
Muted smoky aromas, eastern spices, sour cherries, cocoa, and forest floor, raspberry, blueberry and fresh finish.

Fetish/The Watcher 2006
My pick from the second flight, this shows a barnyard funk, musk, animal, vegetal, cherries, floral nuances, oak, ripe cherries and plum.

Two Hands Bella's Garden Shiraz 2008
Made from a blend of six different Shiraz wines, each sourced from vineyards located in subappellations of South Australia, minimal fining and no filtration. Aromas of oak, a balsamic edge, very fruit forward, fresh full flavors, licorice, dark chocolate, rich blackberries and ripe cherries. This week's #2 pick at Wine Spectator (out of a field of 100 wines).



I don't feel especially guilty about drinking non-Italian wines, after all we still paired the wines with (Grandma) Pizza and had Panettone topped with Shiraz Cream Fresh for dessert.



For another take on the wines we tasted see Eric's comments at The V.I.P Table.

Eden Road's The Long Road Shiraz wins Best Shiraz

A wonderful Australian Shiraz I reviewed this past summer, The Long Road Shiraz 2010 has won Best Shiraz in Australia's National Wine Show. Production only began in 2008 when they won The Jimmy Watson Memorial trophy for their first vintage.

"The vineyard for this wine is located in Gundagai, where some of the most exciting Shiraz in Australia is being grown," explains Eden Road's Winemaker Nick Spencer. "The region features basalt-rich soils, which deliver highly perfumed, aromatic wines, and ironstone-rich soils, which provide a mineral, crushed rock and gravelly tannin structure."

Congratulation Eden Road! Well Done!

Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Shiraz 2016 Barossa Valley

“I’m the Dude, so that’s what you call me. That or, uh His Dudeness, or uh Duder, or El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.” — The Dude

“Careful man, there’s a beverage here!” 
— The Dude

There sure is!  I know it's not a White Russian, but this Two Hands Gnarly Dudes (Named for the gnarled old Shiraz vines that produce this luscious grape) is the beverage here for "The" Dude on Father's Day. 

And it comes from Australia's Barossa Valley made with 100% Shiraz and aged in French Oak for 12 months.

In the glass the colors are a ruby red with brighter red at the rim. The aromas are a stunning and attractive blend of cassis and underbrush with hints of salumi, herbs and slate. On the palate more blackberry and plum with bold, smoked meats and cigar box. Finishing long and bold with a hit of spice and black pepper. 13.5% alcohol. A great way to wish The Dude Happy Fathers Day.

Chamarré Grand Reserve Shiraz 2005 (Vin de Pays Vignobles de France)

France... This is 100% Shiraz from Chamarré... but produced with half of the grapes from the Northern Rhone (for the spicy kick and fresh acidity) and half from Languedoc (for the jammy, ripe fruitiness). The scales tip slightly on the side of the south, with a more intense, fruity roundness opposed to a subtle typical spicy Shiraz profile. On the nose is a definite spiciness and the palate is cooked fruits, white pepper and a smooth finish. One thing all the Chamarré wines have in common is the same brushstrokes by the artist (vintner)... they're all tied together neatly by a mellowness and even quality. This is available at The Wine Room of Forest Hills for around $12.

Note: Chamarré is the first brand to take advantage of the new French wine appellation, "Vin de Pays Vignobles de France" which allows blending across regions. Founder Pascal Renaudat and winemaker Renaud Rosari have access to sources from cooperatives across the country and now can blend the best of each.

Eden Road Hilltops Shiraz 2010

Sourced from a single vineyard (Kingsvale) in the Australian Hilltops wine region northwest of Canberra, Eden Road Hilltops Shiraz (actually there is a tiny 1% Viognier blended in) is open-fermented for 2 weeks before 16 months aging in French oak barriques.

Shows deep purple/ruby colors, with juicy earthy/barbecue/smoked meat aromas, displays an intriguing palate of ripe cherry, white pepper and red fruit and slight vegetal and metallic notes on the long finish.

Received a Silver Medal in the 2012 Southern Highlands Wine Show.

Eden Road Shiraz The Long Road Gundagai 2010

From the Gundagai region of Australia, this is a 100% Shiraz made from fruit picked, de-stemmed and chilled for 7 days before warming naturally and innoculated with a chosen yeast strain. The cap was turned over with high volume compressed air which is a gentle approach to soaking the skins. No pumping over or plunging was employed. Following fermentation the fruit was pressed and 50% transferred directly to old French oak puncheons.

Very dark deep colors of purple, with cassis, pepper, and licorice aromas, great texture and body while flavors of dark fruit and violets play happily on the palate into a satisfying floral finish.

Red Hill Estate Shiraz 2000

I found this gem recently in a sale bin at Pop's Wines, one of my favorite wine shops in Island Park, Long Island. It's a Shiraz from Victoria Australia and must have been buried under other boxes for years. But it must have been stored on it's side because the cork was a deep ruby and the wine was wonderful.

The colors were a deep ruby, with fine floral notes wafting from the glass showing bright earthy berries and brilliant spices contrasting perfectly with earthy summer fruits, followed by an infusion of vanilla. On the palate the tannins were soft as velvet, and the finish was quite long. In general this wine was very nicely balanced and I'm glad I bought 3 bottles (although I wish I had bought a case).

Red Wine Blind Tasting

At snooth on Sunday afternoon I participated in a blind tasting of 12 red wines. Led by Greg Dal Piaz of Snooth, all the bottles' labels were covered and we sampled 4 flights of three each. Here they are along with my comments:

Flight 1 (Sangiovese)

2005 Perdroncelli Alto Vineyard Dry Creek valley, CA
color: cool rose; nose: bright cherries, violets, roses; palate: raisins, vanilla

2006 Terra d'oro Amador County, CA
nose: cassis, chocolate; palate: grapefruit rinds, sour cherries

2005 Pietra santa Cienega Valley, CA
color: deep purple; nose: smokey, concentrated not unlike Amarone, intense, violets, cherry syrup, cough drops, and vanilla; palate: red fruits, ripe cherries, white pepper

Flight 2 (Other Italians)

2006 Montevina Amador County Aglianico, CA
color: ruby; nose: vanilla, blueberries; palate: strawberries, blueberries, fresh fruit finish

2006 Bocella Rasott Campi Taurasini, Italy
color: dark ruby opaque; earthy, plastic wrap, Christmas gift wrapping, chemical cherries, sweet and sour cherries

2004 Pietra Santa Dolcetto Cienega Valley, CA
color: opaque inky deep purple; beatiful aromas of clean earth, simple and on palate ripe cherries, wood and green peppers

Flight 3 (Syrah/Shiraz)

2005 Shoo Fly South East Australia
bramble and underbrush on the nose, also hints of earthy blackberries and palate of sweet ripe fruitiness, bubble gum, violets with a candy finish

2006 The Lackey South Australia
nose: red fruits; palate: super ripe blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, smooth and fresh finish

2005 Valley of the Moon Sonoma County, CA
medicinal cherries

Flight 4 (Syrah/Shiraz)

2004 d'Arenberg The Love Grass McLaren Vale, Australia
nose: vanilla and high alcohol at first, but opened to a sweet fruit bomb (in a good way), blueberry, lavender, fruit rind with a finish of white pepper and a smokey undercurrent, refreshing, jammy, balanced

2005 Sixth Sense Lodi County, CA
nose: vegetal, sweet and spicey; palate: vanilla, violets, cherry orange liquore, oak

2005 Toasted Head Dunnigan Hills, CA
pleasing aromas of mild floral tones, preview a palate of soft, balanced and perfectly ripe bing cherries

Chamarré Rosé Selection Grenache-Shiraz 2006 (Vin de Pays Vignobles de France)

Chamarré is the first brand to take advantage of the new French wine appellation, "Vin de Pays Vignobles de France" which allows blending across regions. Founder Pascal Renaudat and winemaker Renaud Rosari have access to sources from cooperatives across the country and now can blend the best of each. In this refreshing blend they use Grenache for body and Shiraz for zing, both from Corsica. Light body and pale peach colors meld with bouquets of berries and spice and ending with a citrus finish. In the $10 range, this Rosé is a perfect summer wine.

Snooth launches iPhone App

This is great... you can have access to over 1 million wines on your iPhone.

New York, NY (June 1, 2009) - Snooth, the world's largest wine site, today announced the launch of its iPhone application.

The app will allow users to access Snooth's database of 1 million wines and 11,000 merchants from their mobile device.

Users can:

-Download the app from the iTunes store for free
-Find where their favorite wines are available for purchase in their neighborhood, using the device's location-aware functionality
-Update their tasting notes, ratings, and reviews as they are dining
-Access personal wine wish lists while out and about

"We're committed to translating the Web experience of Snooth to other innovative mediums," said Philip James, founder and CEO of Snooth. "The feedback from our mobile-optimized site has been great, but now with iPhone's location-aware functionality, users can now type in "spicy Shiraz", or "Chardonnay under $20 for fish" and we'll give you wines in-stock in your neighborhood. It is then simple to then click and call the store to hold the item, or to get directions. You can also keep track of what you tried and enjoyed while dining out."

Since its inception in June 2007, Snooth has grown to be the world's largest wine site, with over 500,000 users per month, 1 million wines and prices from 11,000 merchants and wineries worldwide. The site currently handles over 2 million searches per month and has over 125,000 registered users.

About Snooth

Launched in June 2007, Snooth is a highly interactive, social database of the world’s wines, offering both casual and expert wine drinkers the ability to search, obtain personalized recommendations, interact with fellow wine lovers, as well as seamlessly buy from a global network of over 11,000 merchants.

Users have the ability to search by their own personal preferences (bold, peppery, fruity, etc), by a specific meal-pairing, price, or by region or producer. Snooth’s recommendation engine also provides customized selections based on stated preferences and user feedback. The more information a user gives on wines they enjoy, the more personalized and detailed the recommendations become.

Please visit snooth for more information.

Jacob's Creek Centenary Hill Shiraz 2005 Australia

From Australia's Barossa Valley showing clear and intensely deep garnet colors with lighter tawny colors around the rim of the glass, wonderful clean aromas are equally intense displaying marzipan, sweet spices like cinnamon and clove, pastry icing, menthol, chocolate and wood. Dry on the palate with an attractive balance of medium acidity and ripe tannins, medium plus body, flavors of chocolate and white pepper, with ripe and sweet black fruits over a nutty finish that stretches on for a good length of time.

This wine was part of a tasting at my Level ll Intermediate Certificate WSET class in Wine & Spirits this weekend at the International Wine Center.

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008 Australia

Fruit up front with blackberry preserves reduction on toast, ripe bing cherries, black fruits, plum, smoke, spices, white pepper, candy finish. By the glass at Brickyard Gastropub $7.50/glass.

Valsan 1831 Noviembre de Finca El Monegrillo 2006, Spain

From Manchuela, Spain where the popular red grape is usually Tempranillo, here is a tasty blend of 60% Shiraz with 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged for 14 months in French oak Allier barrels of varying cooperages, with different degrees of toast and stave sizes.

Deep garnet colors in the glass with aromas of dark fruit, blackberry pie and mint along with a toasted earthy edge. Nice rounded tannins and good acidity along with flavors of caramel, underbrush, anise and pepper. A long mature finish leaves the senses satisfied and wanting more.

Coppola Shiraz Napa Valley 2007

Aromas of violets, spicy peppery flavors, sour cherries and blue fruits, concentrated, earthy, perfectly matched with baked manicotti with marinara sauce at La Villa in Lindenwood, Queens.

Suhru Red 2007 Long Island

Recently at a tasting at Brooklyn Oenology I met winemaker Russell Hearn and his wife Susan from Suhru Wines where they were showing their 2007 Suhru Red. This medley of five grapes is a cross blend of Bordeaux and Rhone varieties that includes 82% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Shiraz and aged for six months in oak.

Clear but dark colors in the glass, clean aromas with medium intensity and hints of black fruits, stone fruits, and black pepper, while on the palate, dry with medium acidity and tannins, good body accompanies flavors of raspberry, dried fruits, chalk and a pastel fruitiness, the finish is reminiscent of blueberry jam and the length is medium to long.

All round this is a very good value at $19.95 retail per bottle.