The Auswine Forum

I'm generally not a fan of MR shiraz, but this one is OK.

Purple / garnet in colour. The nose is fruit driven, with juicy red plums dominating. There's some dried herbs, but the oak influence is minimal on the nose - no vanilla or cedar, or even mocha. The palate is medium bodied only, with the fruit still dominant and showing a little concentration. Tannins are present, but in the background, and the acid is likewise.

It's actually surprisingly in balance, if the characters described above are what you look for in a wine. I think this is a pretty good wine - just not what I was expecting in a shiraz - and my caution regarding MR shiraz remains. Opinions welcome, especially as the Cape Mentelle is considered an excellent example of MR shiraz.

Cheers
Allan

Allan,

I don't have much experience with MR shiraz so I appreciate your note. This appears to be a wine I might like as I am not one that wants vanilla and mocha in my wine but do appreciate dried herbs.

My only experience with MR shiraz is with a Howard Park 'Leston' and was from the 2003 vintage. I liked it when young but at some stage I thought it had lost its way, the ripe flavours dominating. So I left my remaining bottles alone and later a single bottle showed some improvement so I have hope.

Mahmoud.