Ah Shiraz, just like the Aussies who made this wine are loud, playful, and energetic so too is this vintage of Schilde Estate Shiraz. It's funny that as I am finishing a book on the evils of "Parkerization" that I sip a wine that is truly in the "New World" style. You know what, screw 'em if they don't like it. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know that the Rhone region is the home of Syrah and that even the most bold of the ancestors of "Shiraz" pale against what the Yanks and the Aussies crank out. The big difference I guess between me and the the others is that I know and appreciate the differences and I take these wine for what they are, not what I think they should be. Aussie Shiraz (at least they call it something different than Syrah, points for that) is just like the good folks from down under... bowls you over upon first greeting but extends a hand to lift you up as you walk to the pub. OK, enough of that... there is a wine here to review.
Very pretty in the glass, deep, dark red with a pretty broad core. The nose does lend itself to a touch of heat from the 14.5% alcohol but it's matched by lovely dark cherries, black currant, and dark chocolate along with a hint of "toastiness". This wine is full, slightly thick but not quite a cloyingly sweet wine, this is richness more like dark hot cocoa. The fruit remains and combines with solid but not overly tight tannins and enough acidity to carry it all over the mouth and linger to a medium/(+) length finish. Quite a lovely experience.
Number of wines reviewed in 2010: 122
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