TN: 2002 Greenock Creek Alices Shiraz

[Baby Chickpea]

2002 Greenock Creek Alices Shiraz (Barossa Valley)
Deep red at rim. Impenetrable purple in body – totally translucent. Bouquet? Whoa! Two things explode out – deep blackberry purée and the 16% alcohol that flairs the nostrils like my sister’s nail polish remover. Very extracted with acetone-like ‘hotness’ clearly evident on the finish. No change after 3 hours. Took 8 hours to quieten down. Palate is very powerful, rich, dense and concentrated. Abundant blackcurrants and blackberries, liquorice, fruit pastilles, spice. Initially way too oaky and loaded with excess and obvious acid (shrill and sour). After 4 hours, it began to come together. After 6 hours it had cooled down. After 12 hours it was very good but still finished short. Not the super-extracted cartoonish behemoth that was the 2001 Marquis Phillips S9 Shiraz I had a month ago (disgusting stuff IMO; 81 / 100 on the basis of three sips as that was all I could stomach) but a more dimensional and rounded wine. I’ll be honest, this is not my style of wine although I love the turbo-charged wines from Torbreck, Rusden, and Wild Duck Creek. They all seem to have much better fruit and tannin structure and overall balance and little hint of excess oak and acid.
85 / 100

[markg]

Sorry Danny, I totally disagree. I have drank my way through nearly a case of the 02 Alice so far with the last one opened up on New years eve. I love the juicy fruit flavours and extracted shiraz intensity of this wine.

Different strokes I suppose.

PM me if you want any taken off your hands.