Nine Stones Barossa Valley Shiraz, 2013

Nine Stones is an Australian Shiraz that I used to buy regularly. I preferred the McLaren Vale and the Hilltops appellations, but my local stores started offering only the Barossa, which is generally riper but less interesting than the other appellations.

Deep, bright ruby red with some rust at the rim. Beautifully aromatic: blackberries, currants, cassis, chocolate and coffee oak. Good ripe fruit on the mid-palate, again focusing on dark berries and cherries. Drinking well now but more tannin than acid on the finish--which is usually my complaint with Australian Syrah. Lacks the ripe berry after glow of last night's Vacqueyras.

My guess is that the McLaren Vale would be fuller on the mid-palate, and the Hilltops, more complex on the finish.