Oh look, a dual region red wine made with specific intent! Don’t get me wrong, I love exploring regionality, single sites, individual blocks even. But there needn’t be a war between the two approaches. I enjoy the diversity offered up by Australian wine.
70% Polish Hill fruit from the Clare Valley with the remainder sourced from McLaren Vale. Very spicy clove, char and French vanilla oak but the fruit sops it up quickly. Lush and plush, it smells of blackberries and mulberries, Kalamata olives, polished floorboards and leather-bound books. It’s rich and mouth-filling but not overly heavy or plodding. Some minty lift and espresso depth. Balance and flow are impressive even if it’s not endowed with tremendous length. Tannins are largely submerged in the flavours but they provide enough shape and texture. 91 Good – Very Good
Region: Clare Valley, McLaren Vale
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $22
Tasted: December 2012
Jeremy perhaps now Mr O’Leary or Mr Walker will be kind enough to send you a sample of their Wyebo Shiraz 2010 from Oakbank in the Adelaide Hills? I would like to see what you think of it against the Shaw&Smith effort.
Richard – I remembered your desire to run the Wyebo Shiraz 2010 against the Shaw + Smith Shiraz 2010. I’ve had the latter recently and O’Leary Walker have just sent me some wines. I don’t have that Wyebo but I’ll shoot off an email and see what I can do. No harm in asking.
Cheers
J