2013 SC PANNELL ADELAIDE HILLS SYRAH - WINNER TAKES IT ALL

Steve Pannell’s CV is an impressive one – son of Bill Panell who founded Moss Wood in Margaret River, former Chief Winemaker for Hardy’s, multiple Jimmy Watson Trophy-winner – the list goes on.

Since establishing his own label, Pannell has focused on varieties that flourish in McLaren Vale’s warm Mediterranean climate. Traditional favourites Shiraz and Grenache have been supplemented by Tempranillo and Touriga Nacional.

Pannell has also extended his reach into the Adelaide Hills for Sauvigon Blanc, Nebbiolo and cool climate Shiraz. It was not surprising when Pannell, a master of the Shiraz grape, was awarded the Jimmy Watson Trophy for his Echunga-grown Adelaide Hills Syrah.

This is a classy, Australia meets the Rhone styled wine that will win over many Australian palates reared on traditional bold fruited warm climate Shiraz. There’s lots to like in this elegantly constructed modern Australian wine. It should reach its peak 10 years from vintage.

2013 SC PANNELL ADELAIDE HILLS SYRAH
Producer: SC Pannell
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Region: Adelaide Hills, South Australia
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $35.00
Date tasted: 2 April 2018

Tasting Note:
Deep ruby red. Attractive nose – smoky, ground black pepper, black cherry and hung meat. Medium bodied, elegant and fine. Model of restraint. Black cherry and pepper. Light on its feet.
Score: 17/20

2011 BEST’S BIN 1 SHIRAZ - EVERYONE'S A WINNER

2011 was a much derided vintage in southern Australia. So derided was 2011 that many wrote it off completely before the wines had completed fermenting let alone bottled. 2011 was certainly a vintage of challenges. However, it produced exceptional fruit for sparkling wines. The best Chardonnays of 2011 are outstanding with great drive

At Best’s in Great Western, Viv Thomson and team took the decision not to make the super-premium Thomson’s Family Shiraz or the Bin 0 Shiraz. A strict selection was made, with all of the fruit being designated for Best’s Bin 1 Shiraz. So good was the wine that it picked up the Jimmy Watson Trophy, not bad for a $30 wine!

Several years on and Best’s Bin 1 Shiraz 2011 is drinking superbly, but with time up its sleeve. With notes of black pepper and game, there is an Australia meets the Rhone character to this delicious Shiraz.

2011 BEST’S BIN 1 SHIRAZ
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Region: Screw cap
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 26 January 2018

Tasting Note:
Bright plum red. Alluring nose of freshly cracked black pepper, confit cherries and hung game. Medium bodied, fine and well composed. Sweet black fruits interwoven with pepper, hints of charcuterie starting to emerge. Delicious – lives up to its billing.
Score: 17.5/20

2008 DALWHINNIE MOONAMBEL SHIRAZ - TEENAGE DIRTBAG

Dalwhinnie Moonambel Shiraz is a Victorian Shiraz icon with a history running over 30 years. Almost 10 years on from vintage seemed an appropriate time to check on the 2008. On this showing, the wine is going through a slightly awkward adolescence.

There’s sweet fruit aplenty, and the tannins are all but resolved. However, the wine seems a little bit disjointed at present, aromatically and on the palate.

This bottle was the first of a six-pack. On this evidence, it need another few years for the component parts to come together. In view of the fine pedigree of this marque, on will reserve judgement for the time being.

2008 DALWHINNIE MOONAMBEL SHIRAZ
Producer: Dalwhinnie
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Region: Pyrenees, Victoria
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $65.00
Date tasted: 9 September 2017

Tasting Note:
Bright crimson. Melange of red, blue and black fruits, tar, charcoal, floral notes. Sweet fruited up-front, medium bodied, a little bit disjointed at first but comes together and fills out with air. Silky in texture, blueberries and dark plums, touch of charry oak. Could be going through a slightly awkward stage?
Score: 16/20

1997 WENDOUREE SHIRAZ - DEBASER

Little needs to be said about Clare Valley winery. It is an Australian wine icon, producing powerfully charged, savoury wines that sit outside the Australian norm. Some use the descriptor ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’, which isn’t far from the mark. Powerful as Wendouree may be, its wines carry a sense of elegance at the same time.

Two decades from vintage, 1997 Wendouree Shiraz is near fully mature. This particular wine was initially rather reticent, but opened up with air. Although not particularly complex, it is elegantly composed, with attractive secondary earthy and ferrous notes. On this evidence, Wendouree 1997’s are well and truly good to go.

1997 WENDOUREE SHIRAZ
Producer: Wendouree
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Region: Clare Valley, South Australia
ABV: 13.6%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 29 July 2017

Tasting Note:
Deep ruby. Takes at least an hour to open up – quite reticent initially. Earth, ferrous oxide, ashphalt, dark berry fruit comes through. A tad over medium bodied. Smooth and seamless – tannins fully resolved. Ferrous notes come through on the palate together with dry earth and black fruit. Can’t see this wine improving further. Very enjoyable if not super complex.
Score: 17/20

2009 MASSENA ‘THE ELEVENTH HOUR’ SHIRAZ - TIME

Just shy of a decade from vintage and Massena ‘The Eleventh Hour’ Shiraz is well and truly in the slot for drinking. Gone is the puppy fat and sweet fruit of youth, more savoury notes coming to the fore, together with lifted florals and exotic spice.

Rich, full bodied and unashamedly Barossan in build, there is plenty to enjoy here. If you like Barossa Shiraz that is generously flavoured, but not over-burdened by excess wood or alcohol, this could be the wine for you.

2009 MASSENA ‘THE ELEVENTH HOUR’ SHIRAZ
Producer: Massena
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $35.00
Date tasted: 15 July 2017

Tasting Note:
Deep ruby. Some noteable evolution. Kirsch, blackberry coulis, baked red earth, star anise. Full bodied, soft and pillowy. Exotic red fruits up-front. Savoury on the mid-palate, with spicy complexity carrying the finish. At its peak but will hold.
Score: 16.5/20

2015 GUTHRIE ‘THE SNARE’ SYRAH - THE MODERN WAY

Australia produces Shiraz in a myriad of styles depending on the site, region and inclination of the winemaker. Over the past decade, the Adelaide Hills has established itself as a premium source of cool climate Shiraz, SC Pannell and Shaw & Smith being but two outstanding examples.

Guthrie ‘The Snare’ Syrah fits the mould of contemporary cool climate Australian Shiraz (or should we say Syrah) to a tee. Mid-weight in build, it is lithe and suave in feel, with silky black fruits, peppery spice and a hint of wet earth. The use of 40% whole bunches has amplified the spicy, meaty and savoury aspects of the wine.

All in all, there’s a lot to like about this wine, not the least being its sheer drinkability and compatibility with food.

2015 GUTHRIE ‘THE SNARE’ SYRAH
Producer: Guthrie
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Region: Adelaide Hills, South Australia
ABV: 13.4%
Closure: Screw-cap
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 23 June 2017

Tasting Note:
Vivid crimson. Lifted nose of freshly ground black pepper, raspberry coulis and black cherry. Mid-weight, fine and unforced. Quite sensuous in texture – everything is in the right place. Black-fruited, peppery and svelte. Slightly earthy on the finish. Good quality modern Australian cool climate Shiraz – it’s not Rhone, but it’s far removed from traditional Barossa Valley Shiraz.
Score: 16.5/20

2004 SPINIFEX SHIRAZ VIOGNIER - SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS?

Spinifex has deservedly established itself as one of the top producers in the Barossa Valley. This bottle, which was purchased on release, was opened with great anticipation.

Shiraz Viognier co-ferments and blends have somewhat of a mixed track record in Australia. Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier is a benchmark of cool climate Shiraz. Torbreck RunRig and its offspring, Descendant are proof positive that Viognier can work alongside Shiraz in warm climates such as the Barossa Valley.

This particular bottle of Spinifex Shiraz Viognier failed to fire. So dominant was the Viognier (even at a mere 5%) that it detracted from the wine. As is the case of mild cork taint or ‘scalping’ one could tell there was a good wine underneath, but the Viognier was simply so overt that it marred the drinking experience.

Something is clearly not quite right here. The wine has been stored impeccably throughout its life. Yes, it was sealed under cork, but there was not a trace of taint or oxidation. Has it been left too long? Or not long enough? We’ll put this one down to experience.

2004 SPINIFEX SHIRAZ VIOGNIER
Producer: Spinifex
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $60.00
Date tasted: 10 June 2017

Tasting Note:
Rich plum red. Still holding its fruit on the nose – though the Viognier component seems to really dominate – overt apricot blossom characters. Full bodied, soft and round on the palate. Although only 5% Viognier, the wine is overwhelmed by it to the point that it is disjointed. Not a good showing.
Score: 14/20

2009 GIACONDA McCLAY ROAD SHIRAZ - EASY MEAT

Giaconda needs no introduction. It is one of Australia’s leading small estates. While the Estate Chardonnay has led the way, Giaconda’s two premium Shiraz, Estate and Warner Vineyard, are outstanding wines in their own right. Both reflect a Rhone Valley meets Australia philosophy. Stylistically, they share more in common with the hill of Hermitage than traditional Barossa Valley or Heathcote Shiraz.

For those who can’t quite stretch to the $80-$90 a bottle of the two premium Giaconda Shiraz, the McClay Road label represents excellent value. The only downside is that McClay Road is not released every year.

The 2009 McClay Road Shiraz is just starting to strut its stuff. Aromatically and in the mouth it is a ringer for a high quality northern Rhone wine – characuterie, hung game and cured meat are to the fore.

2009 GIACONDA McCLAY ROAD SHIRAZ
Producer: Giaconda
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Region: Beechworth, Victoria
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 26 January 2017

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson. Up-front nose of freshly ground black pepper, charcuterie, game/hung meat and olive tapenade. Dry, at the fuller end of medium bodied, tannins fully resolved, the gamey/ meaty character flows through to the palate which is intensely flavoured and complex. Absolutely a point and delicious. Northern Rhone meets Australia!
Score: 17.5/20

2013 CHATEAU CAMPUGET SYRAH - BLUE JEAN

Costieres de Nimes offers good value wines for drinking over the short to medium term.  Such is the case with this Syrah from Chateau Campuget.  There's a real sense of Mediterranean sunshine about this wine, not to say that it is overripe or overdone in any way.

Laden with dark berry fruit, liquorice and hung game, it is a lovely wine that simply says ‘drink me’. As to when, it is good to go now, but should hold for another 3-4 years.

2013 CHATEAU CAMPUGET COSTIERES DE NIMES 1753 SYRAH
Producer: Chateau Campuget
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Region: Languedoc, France
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 29 October 2016

Tasting Note:
Mid-crimson in appearance. Attractive nose of hung meat/charcuterie, black cherry and blackberry. Medium bodied, soft and round, dark fruited with suggestions of game, black pepper and cured meat. Good length. Solid as a rock.
Score: 16/20

2014 LA VIOLETTA ‘UP!’ SHIRAZ - I'M COMING UP!

Karrinyup, Manjimup and so on. Those West Australian’s just love their ‘Up’s’ don’t they! They also know how to make good wine. Such is the case with La Violetta ‘Up!’ Shiraz. It is a seductive wine, rich in violet and lilac florals.

Winemaker Andrew Hoadley has coaxed the best out of Great Southern Shiraz with this homage to all things Western Australian ending with –up. While its name may be irreverent, the wine is seriously delicious. There’s lots to enjoy now and over the next 5 or so years. More please!

2014 LA VIOLETTA ‘UP!’ SHIRAZ
Producer: La Violetta
Variety: Shiraz/Syrah
Region: Great Southern, Western Australia
ABV: 13.7%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $35.00
Date tasted: 22 October 2016

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby red. Alluring nose of dark red fruits and lifted florals. Medium bodied, supple and fine. Very attractive and elegant, a panoply of sweet red and black fruit, nothing in excess. Slightly gamy. All in all, a delicious wine for now and over the next 5-6 years.
Score: 16.5/20

2001 WENDOUREE SHIRAZ MATARO - CHOCOLATE

The wines of Clare Valley icon Wendouree have featured on these pages on several occasions. This bottle was the first outing of the estate’s Shiraz Mataro blend. The 2001 release of this particular wine doesn’t seem to have been met with great acclaim among the cognoscenti.

If this bottle is any indication, the wine is quintessentially Wendouree, powerful but lithe in one. The Mataro makes its presence felt strongly in the form of dark cocoa powder and wet earth. Although the tannins are relatively soft, the primary fruit commands centre stage. While there is plenty to enjoy here and now, further bottle age should see this wine take on considerable secondary complexity.

2001 WENDOUREE SHIRAZ MATARO
Producer: Wendouree
Variety: Shiraz, Mourvedre
Region: Clare Valley, South Australia
ABV: 11.9%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 17 September 2016

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson. Bold nose of dark cocoa, wet earth, liquorice and toasted fennel seeds. Full bodied, round tannins. Still very primary, dark fruits entwined with cocoa powder, earthy nose. Muscular, but with some degree of finesse. Leave for a few years as secondary characters should lend more complexity.
Score: 16.5+/20

2011 BEST’S BIN 1 SHIRAZ - CLASS ACT

Much has been said and written of the 2011 vintage in southern Australia. It was an atypically wet year, one that put vignerons to the sword. Widely condemned in some quarters, there were some very good wines made, notwithstanding the challenges of the vintage.

Best’s Bin 1 Shiraz was one of the clear successes of the vintage, so successful that it took out the Jimmy Watson Trophy, no small achievement for a wine that sells at or under $30 per bottle. In 2011, it had the benefit of the pick of the crop fruit-wise, as there was no Thomson’s Family Shiraz or Bin 0 Shiraz in 2011.

Five years on and this Jimmy Watson winner is still on the youthful side. It possesses a wonderfully fine, elegant and silky texture, yet the fruit profile is relatively simple. In another five or so years it should be strutting its stuff in the best way possible.

2011 BEST’S BIN 1 SHIRAZ
Producer: Best’s
Variety: Shiraz
Region: Great Western, Victoria
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 19 August 2015

Tasting Note:
Mid-crimson in appearance. Clean nose of liquorice, dark berry fruit, resin and cracked black pepper. Very silky and fine on the palate – almost Pinot Noir-like in texture and weight. Dry, fine and elegant, quite direct and simple at present. Black fruit meets pepper, olive and liquorice. Should develop more complexity over the next several years.
Score: 17+/20

2014 MICHAEL HALL ‘SANG DE PIGEON’ SHIRAZ - BLACK EARTH

Michael Hall is the epitome of modern Australian wine. The amiable Brit gave up a career with a leading auction house to study winemaking and have a go at making wine under his own label ‘Down Under’. He completed his oenology degree as dux and has set the highest standards under the Michael Hall Wines label.

Like many smaller players, Michael Hall doesn’t own and land under vine. He sources high quality fruit from vineyards in the Adelaide Hills (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) and Barossa and Eden Valleys (Roussanne and Shiraz).

‘Sang de Pigeon’ (pigeon’s blood) is the cheaper of two Shiraz Hall makes from the Barossa Valley. Stylistically, it is a restrained expression of Barossa Shiraz, the emphasis on spice and dark earth rather than sweet fruit. There’s a lot to like here.

2014 MICHAEL HALL ‘SANG DE PIGEON’ SHIRAZ
Producer: Michael Hall Wines
Variety: Shiraz
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.2%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 21 August 2015

Tasting Note:
Deep ruby. Interesting nose – earthy, black cherry, blackberry. Dry, full bodied, very savoury in profile, much more so than most Barossa Valley Shiraz. Elegant and suave, restrained, and all the better for it. A different take on Barossa Valley Shiraz, one that eschews sweet up-front fruit.
Score: 16.5/20

2011 CAKE WINES YWMS SHIRAZ - YOUNG TURKS

Hunter Valley Shiraz doesn’t get the best airtime south of the border for one reason or another. Much is the pity, because when it is good, it is very good. Such is the case with Cake Wines YWMS Shiraz 2011.

In case you weren’t aware, YWMS stands for Young Winemakers Series. Each year, Cake Wines invite a young winemaker to oversee the production of a wine to be released under the Cake label. This release, from the 2011 vintage, was the first in the series.

Organic, preservative free (no sulphur dioxide at all here) and sealed under DIAM, there are leanings toward the natural wine movement with this wine. For those of a conventional disposition, fear not, as the wine is clean and bright, delivering a lovely mixture of elegant fruit, suggestions of earth and undergrowth. More please!

2011 CAKE WINES YWMS SHIRAZ
Producer: Cake Wines
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Region: Hunter Valley, New Sourth Wales
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Diam
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 24 June 2016

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby. Attractive and interesting nose – initially very earthbound. Peppery, meaty and gamey with notes of dried foliage. On the palate, medium in body, elegant and suave, almost Pinot Noir-like in texture. Polished, fine and quite delicious – lots to like here.
Score: 17/20

2014 SYRAHMI ‘DEMI’ SHIRAZ - PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC...

Victoria’s Heathcote region is much-loved by those who favour full-bodied, heady Shiraz. If anything, some Heathcote wines can suffer from being a bit too much of everything – alcoholic, over-ripe and overly sweet-fruited.

Former chef and sommelier Adam Foster produces a relatively restrained style of Heathcote Shiraz under his Syrahmi label. As a producer who doesn’t own vineyard, Foster sources fruit from vineyards in the Heathcote region on a rotational basis. Fruit for his 2014 releases was sourced from the Greenstone vineyard.

‘Demi’ is the entry level wine in the range, and a very good wine it is. Weighing in at 13.5% alcohol by volume, it is far from over the top. Judicious use of whole bunch fermentation and a light hand with oak have produced a wine that is at one poised and polished with a twist of herbal and spicy complexity.

This is a wine that reflects the broader move to lightness, brightness and freshness that is afoot here in Australia. For those that enjoy their wine with food, and like a glass or two of red wine in the warmer months of the year, it is just what the doctor ordered. More please!

2014 SYRAHMI ‘DEMI’ SHIRAZ
Producer: Syrahmi
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2014
Region: Heathcote, Victoria
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 19 February 2016

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby red. Complex nose of briar fruit, sage, bay leaf and aniseed. Dry, medium bodied, sweet dark fruits up-front, quickly moving to savoury; dusty herbs, spice, fennel seeds. Controlled and restrained – no signs of excess. Well made and good value for money.
Score: 16.5/20

2013 MICHAEL HALL FLAXMAN’S VALLEY EDEN VALLEY SYRAH - AN ENGLISHMAN ABROAD

Michael Hall’s career has taken him from watch valuer and auctioneer for Sotheby’s in Switzerland to artisan winemaker based on the Barossa Valley. If the 2013 vintage release of his Flaxman’s Valley Syrah is anything to go by, he has chosen the right career path. This single vineyard wine in an exceptional expression of Shiraz, at one floral, multi-faceted, tarry, spicy and complex. A long future lies ahead.

For those not familiar with expat-Englishman Michael Hall, his business model is very much that of footloose winemaker. Although he is based in the Barossa Valley floor, he sources fruit from the Barossa (Roussanne and Shiraz), Eden Valley (Syrah) and Adelaide Hills (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir).

Stylistically, his wines are clean and modern and sit and the ‘elegant and restrained’ end of the spectrum. Such is the case with Flaxman’s Valley Syrah, sourced from one of the highest elevation vineyards in the Eden Valley. As a follower of this wine for a number of years, and purchaser of the Rhone-styled 2011 release, the 2013 is very much a reflection of what was a relatively warm vintage; bold and exotic but cossetted within an elegant frame.

Leading critic Nick Stock is a fan, scoring the wine 98 points and rating it in his top 10 Australian releases of 2015. It is indeed an excellent release, though some degree of patience will be required, as there is plenty of structure.

2013 MICHAEL HALL FLAXMAN’S VALLEY EDEN VALLEY SYRAH
Producer: Michael Hall
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2013
Region: Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.1%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $50.00
Date tasted: 13 February 2016

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson in appearance. Exotic nose of lilac, violet, lavender, forest fruits, tar and roasted spices. Medium bodied, dry and elegant. Tremendous depth and concentration with powdery tannins providing structure. An exceptional Shiraz that needs and will reward cellaring.
Score: 18/20

2004 GIACONDA WARNER VINEYARD SHIRAZ - MEAT ON THE LEDGE

Giaconda needs no introduction. Simply put, it is Australia’s greatest small winery. Although best known for its Chardonnay, Giaconda also produces some of Australia’s finest Shiraz, albeit a very European expression of the variety.

Over a decade from vintage, the 2004 Giaconda Warner Vineyard Shiraz is singing. While it might be Beechworth in origin, the wine is a Hermitage look-a-like, with notes of hung game/charcuterie, woodsmoke and ground pepper. It has little in common with Australian Shiraz of old.

This is a highly complex and sophisticated wine that surely ranks among the best Shiraz to come from these Shiraz. It delivers enormous drinking pleasure here and now, but there’s plenty of fuel in the tank for those that enjoy their wines fully mature.

2004 GIACONDA WARNER VINEYARD SHIRAZ
Producer: Giaconda
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2004
Region: Beechworth, Victoria
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $100.00
Date tasted: 25 December 2015

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson in appearance - barely looks more than two or three years old. Complex nose of ground pepper, charcuterie/hung meat and game, camphor, woodsmoke. Dry, medium to full-bodied, meaty, gamey and savoury. Very long and persistent. In a good spot now, but has the depth and structure to develop in bottle for a further decade.
Score: 18.5/20

2014 MURDOCH HILL ‘THE CRONBERRY’ SHIRAZ - I FOUND MY THRILLS...

Murdoch Hill is a relatively new player based in Oakbank in the Adelaide Hills.  On evidence thus far, it stands as one of the region’s best producers. The 2014 vintage release of ‘The Cronberry’ Shiraz follows hot on the heels on the excellent 2013 offering.

Together with the likes of Shaw & Smith and SC Pannell, Murdoch Hill presents a highly compelling case for Adelaide Hills Shiraz. No more than medium in body, it combines bright red berry fruit with a twist of pepper. It is neither northern Rhone nor traditional ‘Aussie Shiraz’, but a delicious well composed example of cool climate Adelaide Hills Shiraz.

Given the relatively modest price-tag, there’s a lot to like here, though the wine would benefit from another couple of years in bottle. Although Australia has been stereotyped for producing powerful, high alcohol Shiraz, the emergence of the Adelaide Hills, Yarra Valley and Beechworth as serious sources of Shiraz puts pay to preconceptions. For those seeking Australian ripeness meets European elegance, there’s plenty to like with wines of this ilk.

2014 MURDOCH HILL ‘THE CRONBERRY’ SHIRAZ
Producer: Murdoch Hill
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2014
Region: Adelaide Hills, South Australia
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 2 October 2015

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby red. Attractive nose of cherry, damson and freshly ground black pepper. Medium bodied, fine and elegant. Restraint is the operative word here. Tightly coiled at present. Needs another couple of years in bottle to reveal its full potential. Good example of modern cool climate Australian Shiraz and excellent value to boot.
Score: 16.5/20

2013 EVEN KEEL SYRAH - SMOKIN' IN THE BOYS ROOM

In the past 15 or so years, the Canberra district has built a reputation for producing high quality, Rhone-styled Syrah. While Clonakilla has very much led the pack and steals most of the limelight, there are other labels from the region making very high quality wine.

Even Keel is somewhat of an anomaly, as it is actually based in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. It’s Canberra District Syrah is an excellent example of modern cool climate Australian wine – attractively perfumed, medium bodied in build and made for food.

There’s a really smoky quality to the wine, not oak-driven, but presumably an expression of variety and site. It’s quite a delicious wine, made for a rib-eye steak on a Friday night!

2013 EVEN KEEL SYRAH
Producer: Even Keel
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2013
Region: Canberra District, Australian Capital Territory
Alcohol: 13.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 18 July 2015

Tasting Note:
Deep crimson. Prototypical Syrah (rather than Shiraz) nose of woodsmoke, charcoal, charcuterie, black fruits and cracked black pepper. Dry, medium bodied, very fine and supple tannins. Classy - impressive stuff! Showcases Australia meets Rhone Syrah to a tee.
Score: 17/20

2013 CHAPOUTIER TOURNON ‘MATHILDA’ SHIRAZ - BLACK VELVET

The 2012 release of Chapoutier Tournon ‘Mathilda’ Shiraz was one of the best value wines on the market – Victoria Shiraz meets Rhone Syrah in a glass if you will. The 2013 vintage offering follows in a similar vein, albeit sporting some of the vintage’s puppy fat.

This is a very glossy, black-fruited Shiraz that is delicious to drink. At this point in time, it lacks the complexity and meaty, savoury quality of the excellent 2012. However, there is sufficient depth of fruit and structure to suggest that it could develop extremely well over the medium term.

In sum, this is another excellent effort from Chapoutier’s Australian operation. Savvy buyers who lay down a case or two may well have secured a genuine bargain.

2013 CHAPOUTIER TOURNON ‘MATHILDA’ SHIRAZ
Producer: Chapoutier
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2013
Region: Pyrenees & Heathcote, Victoria
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $20.00
Date tasted: 3 June 2015

Tasting Note:
Mid crimson in appearance. Bright nose of black fruits, ground pepper and charcoal. Medium bodied, good mid-palate richness, direct black-fruited palate. Quite voluminous but by no means heavy. Well balanced. Should develop well over the medium term.
Score: 17/20