This is the first of three Shiraz wines we tasted as part of a American Wine Society presentation entitled "There is No Australian Shiraz." The theme, of course, was that there is no simplistic stereotype of Australian Shiraz but rather many different styles based on appellation, vine age, climate and winemaking decisions. Although Barossa is often dismissed by American critics as producing overly heavy, alcoholic, extracted wines, it is also home to many of Australia's finest wines such as Penfold's The Grange and Henschke's Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone Shiraz.Torbreck also has earned critical praise as a premium producer, in part because of the estate's old, dry-farmed vineyards. The Woodcutters bottling is priced at a moderate level ($20 to $25) and includes fruit from relatively younger vines raised mostly in well seasoned French oak. We were both impressed with this wine.
Deep, dark, bright. Big aromatic presence of blackberries, black currants and cassis. Deserves a lot of serious sniffing, revealing more and more pleasures as the wine aerates. I get mostly black fruits on the palate as well. A big tannic wall on the mid palate but it too softens over time to reveal beautiful Shiraz fruit plus mocha, vanilla and lavender. The finish is well worth lingering over, even at this young stage but will get even better with five to ten years of additional age.
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