Chris Ringland Shiraz

[Chad]

I am currently on my 2nd glass of a bottle of 2008 Chris Ringland Shiraz 16.5% alc. INTENSE...... What a dense, brooding, fruit bomb. I actually really like it. Never tried this wine before, but it does remind me in structure and density to a tasting of some the Torbreck wines when I had the good fortune to get to the Barossa in late July this year.

Has anyone else tried this wine? Thoughts????

Chad

[Bigwun]

I love it, I'm a sucker for huge wines. I've also got some 2007 which is a more mellow wine but needed a good 3 hours breathing, and a single 2006 which I am uncertain when to open.

I've been trying to find how to get on Chris's mailing list but to no avail.

[Bick]

Interesting to see someones actually had this.
You've seen this recent thread, I presume?

[calm]

have purchased 4 bottles based on the abolute love that the local DM's manager has for this wine. He told me to stick it away for 10 years and then decant for 3 hours.

[calm]

Interesting to see someones actually had this.
You've seen this recent thread, I presume?

Note that the thread seemed to be in regard to the Three Rivers Chris Ringland not the 2008 Barossa Shiraz (which is a much lower $ wine).

[Bick]

Note that the thread seemed to be in regard to the Three Rivers Chris Ringland not the 2008 Barossa Shiraz (which is a much lower $ wine).

His top wine hasn't been called Three Rivers for many years, its been called simply 'Chris Ringland Shiraz' for about 10 years. Which makes it confusing that he also releases a wine with the exact same name at a small fracton of the price...

[Gavin Trott]

Note that the thread seemed to be in regard to the Three Rivers Chris Ringland not the 2008 Barossa Shiraz (which is a much lower $ wine).

His top wine hasn't been called Three Rivers for many years, its been called simply 'Chris Ringland Shiraz' for about 10 years. Which makes it confusing that he also releases a wine with the exact same name at a small fracton of the price...

Well

he kinda didn't, as the wine is/was known as

R Wines CR Shiraz.

We all knew it was Chris Ringland, but technically, kinda, its

CR SHiraz.

Confusin perhaps?

.

[Michael McNally]

have purchased 4 bottles based on the abolute love that the local DM's manager has for this wine. He told me to stick it away for 10 years and then decant for 3 hours.

I thought this a 'fruit bomb' to the point of being confected. I wouldn't have thought such a wine would be one to put away so it will be interesting to see how they are. Interesting that he can predict with such accuracy how long a particular wine will need to be decanted in 10 years time!

Cheers

Michael

[ticklenow1]

I love it, I'm a sucker for huge wines. I've also got some 2007 which is a more mellow wine but needed a good 3 hours breathing, and a single 2006 which I am uncertain when to open.

I've been trying to find how to get on Chris's mailing list but to no avail.

I also have some of the '06 and was considering opening a bottle to see how it is, as I have 6. Maybe in the next week or so before it gets too hot. I'm guessing it will be a fruit bomb as well.

[GrahamB]

have purchased 4 bottles based on the abolute love that the local DM's manager has for this wine. He told me to stick it away for 10 years and then decant for 3 hours.

I thought this a 'fruit bomb' to the point of being confected. I wouldn't have thought such a wine would be one to put away so it will be interesting to see how they are. Interesting that he can predict with such accuracy how long a particular wine will need to be decanted in 10 years time!

Cheers

Michael

Highly trained and astute people there Michael.

cheers

[Lachlan Malloch]

I tried a couple of bottles of this 2008 wine ($20 at DM's seemed to be a reasonable price to pay to see what some of the Chris Ringland fuss is about) and I must say I wouldn't go for it again. If I did happen to keep some I wouldn't cellar it either, as it had deteriorated to an almost unpleasant point on its second day of being open.

Initially I was impressed with the fruit power, depth of flavour and length of this wine. However once the initial 'wow' factor is over, the flavour profile and 'heaviness' of this wine seem unappealing to me, even as one who *does* like full-bodied wines and strong flavours generally.

If part of the enjoyment is seeing the number "16.5" on the back label then it can be a bit like going for a drive in a 5.7 litre V8 car - awesome to know the size of the thing throbbing under the bonnet (or in this case, in the glass) but that doesn't necessarily make it a stylish ride, eh?

Cheers, Lachie

[Bigwun]

Opened the 06. Too soon!

Well not that it isn't bloody nice right now but it's got many many years left. This is better than the 08, but that might just be the 2 years more age. I'm not one to waffle on about flavours, but suffice to say if you like big wines, and I do, this is brilliant. Bit of sediment even this early, suggesting not much fining done.

I really don't get the fruit bomb concept with this wine at all, unless your taste buds grew up thinking wine should struggle to show fruit flavours. This wine has plenty of fruit to be sure, but it's balanced with acid and tannins - it's not remotely sweet but it's also not bitter.

Each to his own with wine Lachlan, it'd be a pretty boring world if we all liked the same. I guess I'm more like Jeremy Clarkson than Mr. Bean when it comes to cars too. Might I also suggest that if after 1 day your wine was actually unpleasant that your wine had a specific problem - DM are not exactly brilliant for their care of wine - as my 08 was better the next day.

In the time I took to write this also had it with some salmon (hey I didn't choose the food!) but interesting it's fab with it, though the salmon is fried with a splash of soy near the end - no idea where I picked up that idea or if I was being somewhat original when I suggested it to my chef. In case anyone is interested, works as well with tuna, use a dark soy (not that kikkoman oversalted stuff), splash it on about 1 minute from the fish being cooked.

I've decided, I need to find a case of this somewhere, right now! Hola Gavin?

Now if only I could find a way to get on Chris's mailing list, which his web site promises and yet hides so effectively.

[calm]

"Might I also suggest that if after 1 day your wine was actually unpleasant that your wine had a specific problem - DM are not exactly brilliant for their care of wine - as my 08 was better the next day."

As an aside from the intent of this post - do you think as a generalisaton DM and 1st C are the same from a handling viewpoint or do you have cause to think DM are a risk in this regard. I have always been concerned purchasing from merchants over internet due to concern re handling during transit, not sure how to get around that risk.

BTW - I will be opening a bottle of the Chris Ringland Shiraz 08 (purch at DM) within the next week or two and see how it goes. I'll wait until I have some friends over to get a wider view.

[Bigwun]

I don't wish to derail the thread so I would ask that we not degenerate it into a discussion of suppliers handling methods, and perhaps a new thread on this should be created if there isn't already one. But I will say that all good suppliers, particularly online ones, will have a return policy if you are unhappy in any way with the wine. DM does indeed do this and I have returned wines to them before. I will say about DM except I have seen handling I was not impressed with, but I do not claim that is typical.

To be more on topic, I did find the CR mailing list, on his website click My Vineyard, then the left arrow button. Well hidden sir!

[daz]

The better online retailers such as Gavin, simply do not despatch orders when ambient temperatures are high.

[calm]

Opened one of my four bottles of this tonight and was quite happy. My guest was happy too, which was good a indicator given he is wine loving native of France . My wife too. Trifecta.

I thought it held it's alcohol well, not a complex wine to my way of thinking but clean, young, vibrant. Didn't seem to change much over 2 1/2 hours.

I think I will try another in 12 months and see what happens.