St. Hallett Barossa Faith Shiraz, 2010

You can't accuse this wine of not making a good first impression. The color is an impressive bluish purple, and aromas of black currants and berries come at you immediately from the glass. I find more of the same on the palate, but, unfortunately, the flavors are a bit too ripe--more like black plums and raisins rather than berries.  Lacks acid. Eventually, the wood tannins and alcohol take over and dominate. Unfortunately, this wine seems to represent all of the negative stereotypes of Barossa Shiraz--sweet, oaky and alcoholic. To be fair, it represents the third level of  St. Hallett's Shiraz. St. Hallett winemaker Stuart Blackwell uses his best grapes, from carefully selected vineyards, for his Old Block and Blackwell Shiraz. This Faith Shiraz is a more generic Barossa Shiraz, apparently intended for every day use. It's a pleasant wine, but at $14.99, I consider it a bit pricey.