A trio of 2016 Barossa - Allegiance, St Hallett Blackwell, Grant Burge Filsell
Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 9:04 pm
Allegiance Wines Artisan Shiraz 2016 - Rubbish on the first day. Hot, mint, eucalypt, menthol, va lift, tiger balm on nose. Does smell plummy and dark but also one dimensional. Some stalkiness. I am liking this wine less and less, palate seems very shut down with a savoury element to it. In a dead spot? One hopes it is not permanent. Better on second day, alcohol/heat seems to have subsided somewhat but fruits are still a bit stewed. Upgrading to 3.5 stars. 15% alcohol.
St Hallett Blackwell Shiraz 2016 - The James Halliday 97 pointer. Plummy, chocolatey fruit cake/christmas pudding character, oak obvious and supporting on nose. Palate, bright acid, perhaps too bright and lifted, some florals, some depth and complexity at the back of the palate. Fairly long finish for a fairly expressive wine. 14.5% alcohol. Four stars from me.
Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz 2016 - Impenetratable dense purple colour. Very closed on day one, just hinting at potential with fine mouthfilling tannins. Much more open on day two, aniseed, pepper, plum/dark fruits on the nose. Palate adds chocolately, caramally oak. Slightly disjoint now with the acid, but the soft tannins are still omnipresent and combine with some slightly tart acid to create a long finish. Probably one to cellar for five years before drinking.
For me the Grant Burge is the clear winner.
St Hallett Blackwell Shiraz 2016 - The James Halliday 97 pointer. Plummy, chocolatey fruit cake/christmas pudding character, oak obvious and supporting on nose. Palate, bright acid, perhaps too bright and lifted, some florals, some depth and complexity at the back of the palate. Fairly long finish for a fairly expressive wine. 14.5% alcohol. Four stars from me.
Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz 2016 - Impenetratable dense purple colour. Very closed on day one, just hinting at potential with fine mouthfilling tannins. Much more open on day two, aniseed, pepper, plum/dark fruits on the nose. Palate adds chocolately, caramally oak. Slightly disjoint now with the acid, but the soft tannins are still omnipresent and combine with some slightly tart acid to create a long finish. Probably one to cellar for five years before drinking.
For me the Grant Burge is the clear winner.