TN: Blacktongues More Funky Shiraz 27/7/05

[n4sir]

As usual all the following wines were tried blind, and after about an hour all participants voted for their most preferred, two next preferred and their least preferred drops.

I’ve included my own impressions and rankings, the group votes, and a group ranking based on most preferred votes counting for double, second and third one vote, and least preferred minus one vote.

The first thing I must mention that while these wines didn’t reek as badly as the “funky bunch” two months ago they were still difficult to assess, and I was quite happy to pour my leftovers down the sink. My top ranked wine was very much on the oaky side, and would have struggled to make a good impression in a top line up like the previous week.


2001 Tait Barossa Valley Basket Press Shiraz $33: Inky red/purple. A good start to the night with a complex nose of mint, tomato, some charred oak, cherry and some coffee. Unlike the nose the mid-weight palate was distinctly ripe while also retaining a touch of green, with spicy/smoky blackberry fruit, then some raisin, menthol, cough drops and cherries on the finish. This was up with my top wines all night and scored a minor placing, while it was on votes equal WOTN by the panel.

My ranking: 3rd place
Panel ranking: =1st place

Votes: 4 most, 4 second & third, 0 least



2002 Warrabilla Reserve Shiraz $25: Inky purple/red colour. The nose was quite stinky most of the tasting with muddy/diesel fumes and charry oak, with touches of ripe apricot with breathing. Likewise the palate wasn’t particularly appealing, with spicy/lean fruit and finishing with very sharp tannins. Sorry Smithy but I didn’t like this as much as the Shiraz Durif, although it did hide that 16% alcohol very well - maybe it needed a lot more breathing time to fully flower.

My ranking: 7th place
Panel ranking: =6th place

Votes: 0 most preferred, 4 second & third, 0 least



2002 Font Hill Silk Shiraz $30: Inky red/purple. An extremely sweet and slightly savoury nose, with cherry, some lanolin, dried herbs, paint, enamel and some green leaf characters. The palate was also extremely sweet at first, with raspberry/cherry fruit, and some mud chocolate, finishing long and soft. This was a lot better than at the “funky bunch” tasting a couple of months ago, but likewise started strongly and again began to drop off with breathing.

My ranking: 4th place
Panel ranking: 5th place

Votes: 2 most, 2 second & third, 0 least



2002 Maxwell Ellen Street McLaren Vale Shiraz $30: Dark to inky purple/red colour. Very stinky at first with muddy diesel fumes/charry oak at first with some underlying chocolate/coffee aromas, sweetening up with some tomato characters with breathing. The palate featured rich/spicy raspberry/blackberry fruit, but had very little complexity, and an average weight and finish. I’ve tried this a couple of times now, and it’s a bit of a disappointment compared to the Lime Cave Cabernet, which is excellent.

My ranking: 5th place
Panel ranking: 8th place

Votes: 1 most, 1 second & third, 2 least



2003 Tyrrells Vat 9 Hunter Valley Shiraz $30: Glowing dark to (almost) inky purple. A disgusting nose of roadkill, diesel fumes, over-charred oak and burnt rubber tyres that didn’t show any hint of improving. I hopefully thought the palate couldn’t be as bad – I was wrong, with all the disgusting characters above replicated with course, bitter tannins to match. At a previous BTs I ranked this wine very highly while the panel voted it their clear least preferred; that time my impressions were pretty close to Attila’s when he raved about the first bottle he tried. This bottle was nothing like that and I found it just as awful as the majority of the panel, in fact one of the worst wines I’ve tried this year.

My ranking: 10th place
Panel ranking: 10th place

Votes: 0 most, 0 second & third, 8 least



2003 Tyrrells Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz $26: Inky purple colour with a glowing hue. A fresh nose at first with soap/potpourri characters and ripe blackberry fruit, before some diesel and charred oak characters kicked in. Similarly the palate began with pure, ripe, spicy blackberry characters with a hint of mint, but lost its way with breathing as alcohol heat became quite noticeable.

My ranking: 6th place
Panel ranking: =6th place

Votes: 0 most, 4 second & third, 0 least



2003 Pondolowie Shiraz Viognier $30: Inky purple colour with a vivid glowing purple hue. This was a really weird one from the start, with overly sweet chocolate, ozone, paint, mothballs, pool chlorine, ozone and glacied cherries. The palate was just as contrived, with bright cherry and molasses characters and huge alcohol heat. Even allowing for it being a last second replacement for a corked wine, this probably would easily have been the least preferred if the Tyrrells Vat 9 wasn’t in the line up.

My ranking: 9th place
Panel ranking: 9th place

Votes: 0 most, 0 second and third, 4 least



2004 Smidge Wines Adamo Barossa Valley Shiraz $25: Inky purple/red colour. An extremely ripe and lifted nose with apricots/stewed blackberries, and some green/ozone characters with breathing. Like the nose the palate resembled the style of Shiraz Viognier blends that I despise, with ripe apricots on the entry, sweet cherry/stewed blackberry fruit, and an extremely dry, tannic finish. My voting was pretty close with the rest of the panel with the exception of this one, as I simply just don’t like this style of wine.

My ranking: 8th place
Panel ranking: =1st place

Votes: 2 most, 8 second & third, 0 least



2002 Dog Ridge DV7 McLaren Vale Shiraz $28: Dark to inky red colour. A sweet, earthy nose with coffee, chocolate, formic acid and vanilla characters suggesting this has had a fair amount of time in new oak. The palate again pretends to be a heavyweight contender, with a slow build up of spicy blackberry fruit with hints of VA, finishing slightly green with some chocolate and alcohol heat. In a group of ordinary wines it’s not so surprising to see me pick an oaky wine as most preferred, but it is unusual to see Steve pick it too – the odds of that happening are as slim as the Swans winning an AFL Premiership!

My ranking: 1st place
Panel ranking: 4th place

Votes: 2 most, 3 second & third, 0 least



2002 Morambro Padthaway Shiraz $22: Inky red/purple colour. An interesting nose of smoky bacon with hints of green/herbs and smoked anchovies that drew mixed comments by the panel. Those sweet smoky characters are on the palate too, which features tight, grainy tannins and a long smoky finish. This was pretty close to being my most preferred, and it seemed to have a lot more to give given its general tightness – possibly one to watch.

My ranking: 2nd place
Panel ranking: 3rd place

Votes: 4 most, 3 second & third, 0 least




Cheers
Ian

[Guest]

I still own many of this and I am of course worried as there must be GREAT bottle variations with this otherwise superb Shiraz:

"2003 Tyrrells Vat 9 Hunter Valley Shiraz $30: Glowing dark to (almost) inky purple. A disgusting nose of roadkill, diesel fumes, over-charred oak and burnt rubber tyres that didn’t show any hint of improving. I hopefully thought the palate couldn’t be as bad – I was wrong, with all the disgusting characters above replicated with course, bitter tannins to match. At a previous BTs I ranked this wine very highly while the panel voted it their clear least preferred; that time my impressions were pretty close to Attila’s when he raved about the first bottle he tried. This bottle was nothing like that and I found it just as awful as the majority of the panel, in fact one of the worst wines I’ve tried this year.

My ranking: 10th place
Panel ranking: 10th place"

I plan to include this wine in next year's Shiraz Masterclass as it is simply OUTSTANDING when the bottle is sound. But which?
I waited for long for your report MR.Enforcer and I'm sad that this Hunter shiraz did not deliver on this occassion.
Attila

[Gavin Trott]

Cheers
Ian

Ian

I see the avatar upload worked!

[Adair]

2003 Tyrrells Vat 9 Hunter Valley Shiraz $30: Glowing dark to (almost) inky purple. A disgusting nose of roadkill, diesel fumes, over-charred oak and burnt rubber tyres that didn’t show any hint of improving. I hopefully thought the palate couldn’t be as bad – I was wrong, with all the disgusting characters above replicated with course, bitter tannins to match. At a previous BTs I ranked this wine very highly while the panel voted it their clear least preferred; that time my impressions were pretty close to Attila’s when he raved about the first bottle he tried. This bottle was nothing like that and I found it just as awful as the majority of the panel, in fact one of the worst wines I’ve tried this year.

My ranking: 10th place
Panel ranking: 10th place

Votes: 0 most, 0 second & third, 8 least

Another example of Tyrrell's problem of putting wine into the bottle!!! Simply unbelievable!

[n4sir]

Cheers
Ian

Ian

I see the avatar upload worked!

Sure did - thanks for the advice Gavin!

I still own many of this and I am of course worried as there must be GREAT bottle variations with this otherwise superb Shiraz:

I plan to include this wine in next year's Shiraz Masterclass as it is simply OUTSTANDING when the bottle is sound. But which?
I waited for long for your report MR.Enforcer and I'm sad that this Hunter shiraz did not deliver on this occassion.
Attila

The previous time at BTs I was more impressed in contrast to the panel, and thought my impressions weren't too far off your first TN Attila:

2003 Tyrrell’s Vat 9 Hunter Valley Shiraz $30+: Dark to inky purple/red colour with an impressive glowing purple rim. A funky, complex nose of chocolate, diesel fumes, some apricot, smoke and burnt rubber. The mid-weight palate is equally complex, with a green streak that really reminded me of a Cabernet; a soft entry and tangy red fruits entwined with some capsicum and substantial fine tannins that run the length of the palate, finishing smoky. I was impressed, but quite a few other panellists couldn’t get past those burnt rubber characters on the nose, and ranked it dead last by a large margin.

My ranking: 4th place
Panel ranking: 10th place

Votes: 0 most, 0 second & third, 7 least

Reading the first TN again there are definitely some similarities, but last week I found it was extremely disappointing - all stinky rubber and none of those complex/tangy fruit characters. I think you mentioned you've struck a lot of bottle variation too.


Cheers
Ian

[smithy]

Ian
Just looking at the tasting notes I'd suggest the bottle may have been marginally corked......Thanks again Mr Sabate! (Diesel fumes/muddy hard tannins)
I'm a bit of a fan of this wine and know that it just doesn't sound like it.

Can you PM me and I'll send a fresh bottle.
Cheers
Smithy

[smithy]

Ian
Saw 707 today and gave him the bottle of 02 Shiraz for your Blacktongues group.

Bloody thing got 4.5 Stars with Winestate (NE Vic tasting) but the panel they used wouldn't know a good wine if they slipped over it in the shower.

Let me know how it goes.


Cheers

Smithy.

[vinum-unlogged]

Smithy, out of interest, who was the tasting panel for that review?

Cheers
Colin.