The Auswine Forum

Hello

A question to the wine knowledgable.

I have a customer seeking some of our best Shiraz. However, he really like the super charged wine styles, think Blass Black label, Liebich the darkie, Noons.

Think super ripe, super charged, what some would describe as over the top.

I'd like to hear your suggestions, which wines do you think, in this style, whether its your style or not, are really really good??

For value for money how about the Marius - so far it has been easier to get than the others too

Wynns Michael. (Got to be great with such a name.)
Kays Block 6.
PL Meshach.
Veritas Hanisch.
Just a few for starters.
MM.

Greenock Creek Alice's and Apricot Block immediately spring to mind; both are very big wines and represent excellent value when near the CD prices. I refer to the 2001 and 2000 vintages, respectively.
Victoria has great wines to offer in the category, too, think Heathcote! Or for something different, don't forget the biggest Rutherglen Durifs, the Calliope Shiraz must come close too? For balance ( don't laugh, kids ) try a good vintage of WDC Springflat?
Amon-Ra is expensive, but again offers refinement along with the power factor. The Serpico isn't Shiraz, but is huge. Any of the Mitolo wines are worth a look?
I second the Meshach suggestion; although besides the power, it's in an entirely different class in my opinion. I can't see the wonderful Michael fitting in, maybe too refined and 'sophisticated' even?
Fox Creek 'The Sparky Years' would match too, but alas no more

This person's name isn't Parker is it?

The 2001 Dead Arm certainly comes to mind. Finding it is a different matter.

The Wild Duck Creek Reserve wines (the 00 Shiraz is pure and sweet Darrell Lea black liquorice - YUM!), also some Mr Riggs, Barnadown Run Voluptuary, Killibinbin shiraz, Henry's Drive, Rusden Black Guts, Kurtz Lunar Block ....as others suggested - Noon, Mitolo, Two Hands, Greenock Creek.

Surprised no one has mentioned the Rockford BP.

Oh hell, I just did

KMP wrote:This person's name isn't Parker is it?

No

But that's very much the style!

Surely Elderton's Command Shiraz is a walk up start ...

Davo wrote:Surprised no one has mentioned the Rockford BP.

Oh hell, I just did

Rockford BP is nothing like a blockbuster.

I found the Winter Creek 2002 Shiraz very much in that style. A real glass stainer.

cheers,

David M.

How about a Warrabilla durif or a Buller Calliope Shiraz?

Kieran

Anonymous wrote:Rockford BP is nothing like a blockbuster.

And is sold out at cellar door.

-- George Krashos

George Krashos wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rockford BP is nothing like a blockbuster.

And is sold out at cellar door.

-- George Krashos

Well, that's nothing new.

Kieran

Kieran mentioned Warrabilla Durif, but you are talking about Shiraz, sooooo 2002 Warrabilla Reserve Shiraz, Parola Shiraz and Shiraz Durif. I do not think you will find bigger.
Mike.

Any Sparky Marquis wines. YUM!

or Dave Anderson's WILD DUCK CREEK

Anonymous wrote:

Davo wrote:Surprised no one has mentioned the Rockford BP.

Oh hell, I just did

Rockford BP is nothing like a blockbuster.

Strange that. At my last tasting of the 96 BP it made all the other wines at the table taste like fruit juice, including the HOG, Grange, Stonewell, and others of the same ilk. Not quite, but it certainly was [size=18]"BIG"[/size] in this company and would fit my definition of a blockbuster.

And yes, I have had most of the other wines mentioned here, before you get too carried away.

Gavin Trott wrote:

KMP wrote:This person's name isn't Parker is it?

No

But that's very much the style!

Then its probably best to go to the source! I don't get The Wine Advocate but I believe that The Australian Report section will come out in October or sometime like that. Or for the price of a decent bottle of wine you can sign up for a 30 day period to the on-line service and do a Vintage Search. I actually went against what I thought was my better judgment and did this last week because I wanted to see how he was going to score a couple of wines I'm interested in, and I've been surprised by the wealth of information that is in there. The guy does taste a LOT of wine. I don't agree with his palate in many ways so it hasn't hurt my buying that much. (He's never going to give St Henri 95+ points.)

As a very rough search I went through the Vintage Guide for shiraz that scored 90-100 points and he has 513 90-95pts and 78 96-100pts. (As of December 2003.) It breaks down

NSW 8
SA 516
SouthEast 3
VIC 49
WA 13
Unclassif 2

Vintages go from 1953 (1 wine) to 2002 (37 wines). So I took the 2001 and 2002 as they are probably still available - 152 wines! Too many.

Back to the 78 96-100pt wines.

SA 74
VIC 3
WA 1

Vintages 1971 (1 wine) to 2002 (5 wines ). So I took 2001 and 2002 19 wines. That's managable. The list - Amon-Ra, D'Arenberg Dead Arm, Barossa Old Vine, Jim Barry The Armagh, Barton Vale The Challenger, Battely Shiaz, Clarendon Hills Astralis ('01 and '02), Clarendon Hills Piggot Range, Henry's Drive Reserve, Kaesler Old Bastard, Kay Bros Block 6, Marquis Philips 9 ('01 and '02) and Integrity ('01 and '02), Noon Reserve, and Shirvington ('01 and '02).

I doubt I can post his tasting notes as that probably is some sort of copyright. Even the above may be - who knows!! Hope it is of some help?

Mike

Baby Chickpea wrote:...sweet Darrell Lea black liquorice .

Oh yeah... yummo !! I can eat a $5 bag of this in one sitting while my wife eats a $5 block of their rocky road ....

markg wrote:

Baby Chickpea wrote:...sweet Darrell Lea black liquorice .

Oh yeah... yummo !! I can eat a $5 bag of this in one sitting while my wife eats a $5 block of their rocky road ....

Some of us are lucky enough to have relatives who own a shop and have done since I was a teenager - which is a long time ago! I can say that once its free some of the stuff gets pretty old, but even 10,000 miles away the liquorice calls my name. We always bring back a bag or three!!

Mike

Davo wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Davo wrote:Surprised no one has mentioned the Rockford BP.

Oh hell, I just did

Rockford BP is nothing like a blockbuster.

Strange that. At my last tasting of the 96 BP it made all the other wines at the table taste like fruit juice, including the HOG, Grange, Stonewell, and others of the same ilk. Not quite, but it certainly was [size=18]"BIG"[/size] in this company and would fit my definition of a blockbuster.

And yes, I have had most of the other wines mentioned here, before you get too carried away.

Davo, I'm with you on this one. I might not have been, but then last night I lined up the 2002 St Hallett Blackwell, 2001 Tim Adams Aberfeldy and 2000 Greenock Creek Apricot Block; for drinking, rather than just tasting in that order. I came back to each wine several times. As I expected, the Blackwell was outclassed, though it really is a very good drop at the price. I had also expected the Aberfeldy to show well for its class and complexity, against the power of the Apricot Block. It did that, but it also showed even more weight and power, making the Apricot Block seem a little timid in comparison That I never would have thought; I mean, the Apricot Block has shown itself to be pretty damn 'big' in past tastings. Now, not that the Apricot Block is severely unbalanced, but is it maybe a case with some of these 'blockbusters' that the lack of balance and coherence makes for a perception of more weight and power than there really is?

Something unmentioned as yet is the Tait winery. For some reason the Shiraz actually packs a bigger punch than the renowned BallBuster... but needless to say both are KO material - affordable too ($15-25) at Cellar door.