2004 Elderton Shiraz Barossa

Thanks to a cooling thunderstorm this afternoon, I feel comfortable opening up a big Australian shiraz without having to put it in the fridge first....

Since it has some bottle age on it, the wine has some browning towards the edges, as expected, but the core remains dark and dense. Not quite inky, and it has lost any hint of blue tones, but it is an opaque garnet. The nose is heavily marked by oak, coming across as vanilla, clove, and butter and more than a bit of smoke. There is fruit here, too; dark stewed berries, though, not a fresh fruit in sight. (Or in smell, as it were.) No doubt this is a hot-climate wine. I'm hoping the alcohol doesn't cause me to begin breathing fire.

Huh. This wine is so much bigger and denser in the nose than it is on the palate. I mean, it's not a pinot noir, and there is some hefty alcohol to be sure (no evidence of fire-breathing as yet, though), but I do not get the feeling that I am chewing on a 2x4, nor am I bathing in black cherry pie filling. The wine has a nice balance of toast and black currant fruit, plenty of acidity to give it a lift, and some fine, silky tannins for texture. Yes, the alcohol is high, and I'm getting a little tingle in my tummy from it, but it's not nearly as overpowering as it could be. I think this is going to pair very nicely with the (extremely elegant) dinner I have planned - chili on a baked sweet potato. (Hey, it's healthy.)

Vintage: 2004
Region: Barossa, Australia
Grape: Shiraz
Price: $35

2009 Schild GMS Barossa

First, to clarify, "GMS" stands for Grenache, Mourvedre, Shiraz," a blend of grapes that is fairly popular in Australia (and to some degree in South Africa). Of course, you see it in sourthern France as well, where it presumably originated, though it isn't Shiraz in France, but Syrah. Same grape, different name.

The wine is a bright ruby in the glass - I'd guess that Grenache composes the greatest percentage of the blend given the color. There's a good deal of characteristically Grenache and Shiras black pepperiness and smoke, in the nose, which I always love, some charred oak (but not too much), some barnyard, and some red chili spice. Unfortunately the fruits on the nose are dark and dense, like stewed prunes or raisins. I suspect they waited a bit too long to harvest these grapes in the hot, sunny Barossa Valley.

My suspicions are supported by the way the wine performs on the palate. The first sensation is one of overwhelming heat. The alcohol burn is intense, even with a hint of residual sugar in the wine (i.e. not all of it was fermented and ended up as alcohol, meaning there had to be a lot of sugar to begin with). The wine is surprisingly acidic, though, making me think the winemakers may have "adjusted" the level of acid. This sort of monkeying is hard to hide; added acid rarely integrates seemlessly into a wine.

Criticisms aside, the fruits are still present in the mouth, albeit overripe tasting, and linger on forever - this wine has one of the longest finishes I've ever experienced. It's not an elegant wine - more a bull than a ballerina - but it's acceptable for what it is. Even bulls have their place in the wine world. Just drink it with a pepper steak and not a filet of salmon.

Vintage: 2009
Grapes: Grenache, Mourvedre, Shiraz
Region: Barossa Valley, Australia
Price: $18

NB I tasted a "GMS" blend from d'Arenberg the other day that cost half as much as this one, and was twice the quality in terms of winemaking prowess. Go for the Stump Jump instead!