Nine Stones McLaren Valen Shiraz, 2005

I've said some positive things about this wine in the past, but it has reached somewhat of an awkward stage at the moment.

Forward New World nose: blue plums, anise, coffee oak. The oak seems more dominant than it was a couple of years ago, but I think there is still strong fruit underneath. Ripe but tannic on the mid-palate. With aeration, it opens up like brown sugar. Now plums, cherries and softer tannins.