Wines and Beyond

Red Wine by d'Arenberg from McLaren Vale, Australia. One of this estate's flagship wines, the 2003 The Dead Arm Shiraz appears to be better than the 2002. A deeper, richer, fuller-bodied offering that spent time in equal parts French and American oak, it possesses an opaque purple color, great intensity, and a fabulously sweet nose of blackberries, cassis, asphalt, earth, and oak. Powerful, super-concentrated, and obviously fashioned from low yields and old vines, this is a classic McLaren Vale old vine Shiraz that should age nicely for 15+ years. - Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Delas from Hermitage, France - Rhone. This unique cuvee illustrates the enormous potential of this incomparable vineyard. The wine has a deep red color. The nose is aromatic with scents of berries, currants and violets. Les Bessards is rich in the mouth with bold, yet silky tannins and concentrated black cherry/plum fruit. It's an exceptional wine with a firm structure that will benefit from long cellaring. ...Delas' luxury cuvee is top-flight... -Wine Advocate 91-93 ...the quality shows in the aromas of black fruits and violets, the flavors of huge dense fruit and powerful tannins. This is serious wine... -Wine Enthusiast ...Wonderfully suave and elegant but also amazingly penetrating and gripping... A young Hermitage of great class and complexity... -International Wine Cellar

Red Wine by Yalumba from Barossa Valley, Australia. Yalumba The Octavius has established a reputation as one of Australia's icon Shiraz wines, an amazing feat considering the first release was the 1990 vintage. In addition to being sourced from a number of very old vineyards in the Barossa, The Octavius is matured in American oak octaves of 90 liters capacity. It is the only red wine in the world that is matured in such small barrels. The secret of the wine not becoming overpowered by the oak lies in the wood which is seasoned at Yalumba's own on-site cooperage for eight years before the octaves are crafted. Yalumba The Octavius 2003 is very dark, impenetrable, deep black purple red in colour. A fine nose of ripe dark fruits, plums, prunes and licorice exudes scents of violets, dark chocolate and espresso. A smooth, silky textured palate seamlessly integrates inky black berry flavours. Beautifully refined with supple tannins, this is a wine of outstanding poise, elegance and length.

Red Wine by Clarendon Hills from McLaren Vale, Australia. Planted in the Onkaparinga Valley in the Clarendon Hills area, this wine is always very peppery and spicy with nuances of Leather and minerals. A most individual wine - always very deeply coloured and with abundant tannin. One of McLaren Vale's most astonishing Syrahs is Clarendon Hills' amazing 2004 Syrah Hickinbotham. Its inky/blue/purple hue is accompanied by aromas and flavors of creme de cassis, smoked meats, melted licorice, coffee beans, graphite, and bacon fat. Extremely full-bodied, powerful, and rich, with moderately high tannin, huge structure as well as massive concentration and intensity, but a sense of elegance, balance, and equilibrium, it should be cellared for 2-3 years, and drunk over the following two decades. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Clarendon Hills from McLaren Vale, Australia. A black, sexy beast, the 2004 Syrah Brookman (aged in 50% new French oak) offers up amazingly full-bodied, intense, blackberry fruit intermixed with notions of roasted coffee, flowers, and creme de cassis. Full-bodied, rich, beautifully textured, opulent, and long, it should drink well for 10-15 years. It appears to be slightly more forward than it was last year. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Guigal from Rhone, France - Rhone. Only 200 cases made. A successful effort for the vintage, the 2004 St.-Joseph Vignes des Hospices exhibits a dense ruby/purple color as well as a beautiful perfume of black raspberries, crushed rocks, flowers, licorice, and a hint of tapenade. Rich, medium-bodied, and concentrated, this is a stunning success for a vintage such as 2004. It should drink well for a decade. -Wine Advocate 90-92

Red Wine by Wolf Blass from Barossa Valley, Australia. Wolf Blass Platinum Label Shiraz is the ultimate expression of their winemakers' masterful skills, showcasing a blend of the finest parcels of fruit from selected South Australian vineyards. Made in extremely limited quantities from low yielding vines, Wolf Blass Platinum Label is, quite literally, the pick of the crop, a wine crafted to epitomize the best of vintage, variety and vineyard. Wolf Blass Platinum Label 2003 Shiraz is deep purple in color. The lifted, fragrant nose shows spicy, ripe berry and dark chocolate characters. The palate is elegant, rich and concentrated, with complex layers of blackberry, freshly ground coffee and spice supported by integrated, smoky oak, a seamless, balanced structure and long, fine tannins. Enjoy with rare-roasted eye filet of beef, venison or kangaroo. This wine's aromas may well draw you in, black and electric with mineral tension. Then the flavor delivers with sliver-thin layers of earthy complexity. This is a wine for the long haul, its gritty Barossa power restricted by French oak aging. The potential is there, as is the polish to decant it now for lamb. -Wines & Spirits

Red Wine by Yalumba from Barossa Valley, Australia. Yalumba The Octavius has established a reputation as one of Australia's icon Shiraz wines, an amazing feat considering the first release was the 1990 vintage. The 2002 vintage was exemplary. The weather remained mild and dry over the long ripening period - in fact the month of January experienced the lowest day temperatures on record. The end result was wines with great color, varietal flavors and intensity. Yalumba The Octavius Barossa Shiraz 2002 is vibrant deep ruby red in colour. Deep, dark, brooding aromas of plum, blackberry and chocolates are lifted by nuances of ground coffee, licorice, violets and cassis. Soft, velvety and sumptuous, the palate is a voluptuous concoction of blackberries, cherries, dark chocolates and creamy vanilla oak, all framed by tight knit tannins. The length is remarkable and the balance exceptional.

Red Wine by Giaconda from Victoria, Australia. The 2004 vintage was an exceptional year for reds; dry, cool weather produced wines that delivered power, finesse and complexity at much lower alcohol levels. In short, ripeness without sweetness, power without the heavy cloying hand of overripe fruit and alcohol. Warner Vineyard Shiraz is the outstanding red wine of the vintage. Superior in every way to those trail blazing shirazes from 2001 and 2002. This wine breaks new ground. Color: Deep, intense, vibrant with magenta to black hue. Bouquet: Brooding; aromas of black cherry. Sechzuan pepper, spices, smoked meats, briary forest floor notes and graphite erupt from the glass. Aromatically stunning. Palate: Powerful and savory; tightly coiled with fine savory tannins and acidity working in with the graphite characters to produce a tensile wine. An explosion of flavors at the end; black cherry, pepper, smoked meats and briar notes concluding with a lone dry savory finish. Bright-hued violet color. Explosive and utterly captivating on the nose, showing pure cassis, blueberry, wild strawberry, cola, sassafras, espresso, mace violet and magnolia. The palate displays a full range of shiraz (or syrah) flavors: blackcurrant, blackberry, candied cherry and plum, cured tobacco, smoked meat, roasted coffee-you name it. Sweet as can be but there's superb focus and energy, too. Finishes sweet, lush and long, with fine-grained tannins slowly emerging to provide grip and structure. -International Wine Cellar

Red Wine by Grant Burge from Barossa Valley, Australia. With Meshach I am seeking the epitome of the Barossa shiraz style - a big, powerful, intensely rich and robust dry red with the potential to age for 20-25 years and develop enormous complexity. I regard this as the most complete Meshach I have yet released. It shows great length and huge intensity on the mid-palate, with a dry finish but not any sign at all of harshness. Made from vines in Burge's Filsell Vineyard that are nearly 100 years old, this is one of Barossa's gems. In this warm vintage it's ripe and gooey, dense with delicious cherry pie, blackberry and licorice flavors that persist through a long, glorious finish. Has depth and presence, a real candidate for triumph after long-term cellaring. Best after 2011. -Wine Spectator

Red Wine by Henschke from Barossa Valley, Australia. In 1912, Ronald Angas planted the sandy loam slopes of Mount Edelstone with Shiraz. Located high in the Eden Valley region this vineyard came to be known as Mount Edelstone meaning gemstone. The 90-year-old ungrafted dry-grown vines from this historic single vineyard are low yielding, producing a depth of color, concentration of flavor, length and maturity of tannins unique to old-vine Shiraz. Mount Edelstone has achieved a formidable reputation since its first vintage in 1952. Deep crimson in color. Sweet ripe plum, anise and blueberry aromas with earthy/dusty hints, gentle ferny characters, spicy cedary oak and eucalypt. Sweet, juicy and ripe on the palate with a fleshy texture, good structure and depth, firm ripe tannins and a long rich finish.

Red Wine by Tardieu-Laurent from Cote Rotie, France - Rhone. Very darkly coloured, we are back to a most typical Style of Cote-Rotie both on the nose and in the mouth. Violet and liquorice are dominant. The aftertaste impresses by an intense mineralite - mine de crayon. Terroir: Landonne, Moulin, Chavaroche, Vaillere from vines over 50 years old. Ruby-red. Highly aromatic nose combines bright raspberry and redcurrant scents, a strong violet note and subtle mineral tones. Fresh, silky and sweet, with brisk red fruit flavors carrying impressively through a long, juicy, gently tannic finish. This is delicious right now. -International Wine Cellar

Red Wine by Mollydooker from McLaren Vale, Australia.

Red Wine by Brokenwood from McLaren Vale, Australia. Graveyard Shiraz has established itself as one of Australia's most sought-after red wines, displaying the best characteristics of super-premium Hunter Shiraz. Excellent color with youthful tints and quintessential Hunter Valley aromas: charry briarwood, clove and red cherry. Good weight to the palate, initially firm tannins but then red berry and spice flavors. Excellent structure that has earthy, briary, savory characters and grape/oak tannins. Developed characters should start to appear around the seven-year mark.

Red Wine by Clarendon Hills from McLaren Vale, Australia. The 2004 Liandra Syrah, highlights the quality of the fruit that is produced from 100 year old vines, planted on a soil of clay and sand. Inky, glass staining purple in color, this wine is polished and aristocratic. Expansive floral bouquet of boysenberry, candied plum and kirsch. A generous expression of bright dark berries, cinnamon, subtle bacon and eucalyptus, gliding into a long, open finish.