TN: 2002 Arakoon the Doyen Shiraz
Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2004 1:29 pm
2002 Arakoon the Doyen Shiraz
From this week's tasting bench. I tried a number of wines, the good ones will appear in the next mailout, the ordinary ones will not be heard from again!
One stood out however as much for my surprise as for its quality. Surprise because its not a style that usually appeals to me. In this case though, quality shone through.
Now I'll be the first one to admit that I did not personally enjoy the 2001 of this wine. It was just so ripe, so rich, so everything I felt it lacked balance. That said, many customers disagreed and it sold very well indeed.
So I opened the 2002 on the tasting bench with a slight trepidation, and an expectation not to like it! How wrong could I be, the 2002 version is wonderful.
Much more structured and balanced, while still being full on in the house style for this wine. The colour, as is to be expected, is full purple red, the nose is a delight, exotic spices mingle with plum and berry fruits, loads of chocolate, hints of liqueur plums, floral hints and loads more, very expressive indeed. The palate is even better, ripe but not overdone, hints of oak, but in balance, with a rich and satiny mouthfeel, great length and some already developing complexity. The wine has superfine almost invisible tannins and actually would work well with richly flavoured foods. Very well done indeed for those who like rich flavours in their reds!
Recommended.
From this week's tasting bench. I tried a number of wines, the good ones will appear in the next mailout, the ordinary ones will not be heard from again!
One stood out however as much for my surprise as for its quality. Surprise because its not a style that usually appeals to me. In this case though, quality shone through.
Now I'll be the first one to admit that I did not personally enjoy the 2001 of this wine. It was just so ripe, so rich, so everything I felt it lacked balance. That said, many customers disagreed and it sold very well indeed.
So I opened the 2002 on the tasting bench with a slight trepidation, and an expectation not to like it! How wrong could I be, the 2002 version is wonderful.
Much more structured and balanced, while still being full on in the house style for this wine. The colour, as is to be expected, is full purple red, the nose is a delight, exotic spices mingle with plum and berry fruits, loads of chocolate, hints of liqueur plums, floral hints and loads more, very expressive indeed. The palate is even better, ripe but not overdone, hints of oak, but in balance, with a rich and satiny mouthfeel, great length and some already developing complexity. The wine has superfine almost invisible tannins and actually would work well with richly flavoured foods. Very well done indeed for those who like rich flavours in their reds!
Recommended.
