DAN'S WINE BLOG- THIS WEEK'S WINE REVIEW

2024-04-05

I rarely write about Shiraz as probably 2,350 out of the 2,468 Australian wineries produce a Shiraz and unless it is one of the handful of venerable ones such as Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace, Orlando Lawson’s, Hardy’s Eileen Hardy or a handful of others, it is hard to get very excited about yet another Aussie Shiraz- it’s a bit like trying to get excited about another Argentine Merlot or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, rather hard work.

When I do write about a Shiraz it is because it is a real stand-out. For example, I recently wrote about the Aldi Blackstone Paddock Shiraz because it offers mind blowing value at less than half the cost of other comparable Shiraz.

Well today I am talking about another amazing Shiraz, this time because the current release is an awesome 9 years old. Yep, with most Shiraz being released at 1-3 years old and even Grange these days is being released at 4 years old (used to be 5 before the putsch by the bean counters) and barely a handful of others released at 5 years old, whereas this baby has just turned 9 years old.

I am talking about the magnificent STRATFORD VINEYARD – CELLAR RESERVE 2015 SHIRAZ from Central Victoria. Deep and dense in colour, almost black, with an elegant bouquet of subtle maturation aromas with a modicum of red berries and hint of spice.

The palate is magnificent, jammed full of rich superbly tasty, complex flavours that are sublimely silky and with a gentle yet long lingering finish. This is the epitome of fully mature Shiraz, yet it has the ability to live for quite a few years to come. AMAZING!!

As one of my panel members put it “Bloody Awesome”

This wine and all the other excellent Stratford wines are available through www.nakedwines.com.au – a really great way to buy quality wines.

Cheers Dan T