Tag: shiraz

Wine Review – John Duval Eligo 2008

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John Duval Eligo 2008

Country: Australia
Region: Barossa Valley, Eden Valley
Grape: 100% Shiraz
ABV: 14.5%

Colour: Deep purple, slight clear garnet on the edge

Nose:
Clean, medium+ intensity, fully developed. Plum, blackberry, blueberry, pepper, savoury smoke, oak, graphite, touch of leather

Palate:
Dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ tannins, medium+ alcohol, full body, medium+ flavour intensity.
Plum, saline, black cherry, blackberry, liquorice

Finish: Long finish, pepper, integrated oak, waves of dark fruits for a good 15-20 seconds.

Score: 88/100

A great wine from the legendary Australian wine maker – John Duval, and Eligo being their flagship wine. Decanted for 1.5 hours. Fully developed, with some structure to hold onto its prime for at least 2-4 more years, would highly recommend drinking in the near future if you still have a bottle.

The nose is rather intense, showing a great balance of fruit, matured notes, and the classic peppery spice. On the palate, abundant of mellow black fruits, liquorice, and pepper, with a touch of saltiness, followed by a long finish that lingers for 15-20 seconds.

This is a very good wine, riding right on its prime. Although not as complex as a I thought it would been, the wine as a whole is well composed, from the nose, flavour, mouthfeel, and finish. Not the typical fruit bomb of Barossa, but shows a nice balance of power and elegance.

Wine Review – Pierre Sparr Alsace Gewurztraminer Reserve 2016

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Pierre Sparr Alsace Gewurztraminer Reserve 2016

Country: France
Region: Alsace
Grape: Gewurztraminer
ABV: 13%

Colour: Medium- straw

Nose: Rose pedal, lychee, orange flower water, light honey, faint green tea

Palate: Touch of residual sugar, off-dry. Medium- body, medium- acidity. White flower, chalk, grapefruit

Finish: Medium finish, crushed stone, citrus zest, lemon

Score: 77/100

A rather textbook example of Alsace Gewurztraminer. The usual aromatic nose of rose pedal, lychee is definitely present, with orange flower water, light honey, and faint suggestion of green tea on the back end. The palate is off-dry, and simple, could do with more acidity, fresh notes of citrus and minerals all the way to the finish. I would drink this within a year or two.

Wine Review – Chateau La Fleur Pourret Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2009

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Chateau La Fleur Pourret Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2009

Country: France
Region: Saint-Emilion Grand Cru AOC
Grape: Merlot based Red Bordeaux Blend
ABV: 13.5%

Colour: Dark purple core, light garnet on the edge, showing some sign of age

Nose: Potpourri, smoke, integrated oak, plum, black raspberry, blackberry

Palate: Full-bodied, dry, medium acidity, medium+ tannins. Plum, tobacco, integrated oak, raspberry

Finish: Long finish, plum, drying

Score: 83+/100

I rather nice Bordeaux at this price point, showing signs of maturity, but still have the structure to live on and further develop. The nose is very generous, potpourri, smoke, dark fruits, with a nice integrated oak aroma weaving in and out. Drinking very well now, similar to the nose on the palate, with a nice touch of tobacco giving it extra complexity, followed by a long, drying finish. Perfect paring to a nice prime rib roast. Drink now, or hold for 3-5 more years.

Wine Review – Clarendon Hills Liandra Syrah 2006

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Clarendon Hills “Liandra” Syrah 2006 [Clarendon Hills] [Wine-Searcher]

Country: Australia
Region: Clarendon
Grape: Syrah/Shiraz
ABV: 16%

Colour: Dark purple core, lighter on the rim.

Nose: Ripe black fruits (blueberry, blackberry, plum, blackcurrant jam), chocolate, raisin, bacon fat, touch of herbal, spice.

Palate: Full bodied, medium acidity, medium well-integrated smooth tannins. Plum, blackberry, metallic (iron), vanilla, clove, pepper.

Finish: Long finish, lingering metallic and spicy notes. Well-integrated alcohol.

Score: 87/100

The wine is showing very well, all the components fully integrated with one and other.

The nose was very intense, with concentrated black fruits, chocolate, raisin, bacon fat, a touch of herbal tone that I associate with aged Syrah/Shiraz, and touch of pepper. The nose overall is very balanced, allowing each component to shine through the waves of black fruits, showing a great deal of complexity.

Moving onto the taste, a wonderfully aged, full bodied Syrah. Despite the 16% alcohol, it is very well integrated, drinking more like a 14-14.5%. Aside from the abundance of black fruits, there is this metallic, iron note showing throughout the palate, with a touch of vanilla, clove, and pepper forming a long and lingering finish.

This is a very good wine, with some unusual note going on (the metallic note on the palate), overall a very pleasant tasting experience. The wine is ready, drink before 2020.

Elderton E Series Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

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Elderton E Series Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Colour: Dark purple-garnet

Nose: Blueberry jam, plum, vanilla, baking spice, touch of smoked meat.

Palate: Dry, medium+ body, medium acidity, medium+ fine grain tannins. Blackberry pie, raspberry, pepper, vanilla.

Finish: Medium+ finish, touch of liquorice, more dark fruits.

Score: 77/100

Very standard, big, bold, jammy Southern Australian Shiraz blend. The nose and palate shows similar notes of jammy berries, vanilla, and baking spice, with touch of liquorice kicking in during the finish. This wine feels like a blueberry pie, from the nose to the finish. Very solid wine for the price, if you are into this sort of profile, I personally don’t mind it. Drink now!

Kilikanoon M Reserve Shiraz 2005

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Kilikanoon M Reserve Shiraz 2005

Colour: Dark purple core, light purple rim.

Nose: Herbal/dried medicinal herbs note, light white pepper, meat, minty, dark berries, tobacco. The notes are integrated which makes it harder to pick out.

Palate: Dry, medium-full bodied, medium+ acidity, medium soft tannins. Dark berries (again integrated), pepper, raspberry, touch of faint vanilla, light oak.

Finish: Medium+ finish, liquorice, oak.

Score: 82/100

Rather different from my expectation, only had handful of older Australian Shiraz before.

The Kilikanoon M Reserve Shiraz greets you with a whiff of herbal note, which I have yet to figure out what it is yet. The pepper is more tamed than I would expect, guess the age brought it down, followed by a harmony of aroma, meat, mint, dark fruits, and tobacco. All well integrated.

Velvet on the entry, the tannins are soften up. The integrated berries are back again, followed by raspberry, pepper, vanilla, and touch of oak. The acidity balances out the fruit very well. Followed by a decent length finish, with a kick of liquorice and oak in the back.

So far so good, on paper at least. There is something about this wine that I just don’t seem to enjoy. In theory, the notes all sound good, but just something I can’t quite put my finger on when I drink it, and the wine as a whole, makes me not like it as much as I thought it would. You can tell the quality of the wine, it’s good, given I was going in without any expectation in a somewhat blind tasting. I would recommend this to those who wants to try, and encourage if you own a bottle. Just because I am not a fan doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it more than I do. Drink up!