Eight years ago, a juice company from Australia contacted me. They were moving into the wine market, and we’re working on distribution into the US. Could I help them?
Sure, I said. At the time, I had just come off working on a reasonably successful Australian import project. They sent their importer to meet with me. I had just started the Wine School, so I asked a dozen of my best students to come and taste wine with me.
I don’t think anyone forgave me for that experience. The wines were not exactly bad, but they were far from good. They were sweet, grapey, and left a vague sulfur burn on the back of the tongue. Never has tasting twenty-five wines in an afternoon been so scarring.
Despite good reviews and recommendations since then, I stayed away. I shouldn’t have. I went through a portfolio tasting recently, and the wines were quite good on the whole, and some were excellent. Their Third Generation Shiraz is a standout for its quality and value. This is a bottle I strongly recommend to anyone who loves their big and juicy Aussie Shiraz: this is one of the best under $15 bottles of Shiraz in the marketplace.
Dark red aromas with a perfume of black fruit and lavender wake up the nose, and a touch of herbal notes on the mid-palate give way to a light dusting of tannin. A third flavor sensation of crushed blackberries and cherries unfolds in this medium-weight wine. The fruit turns lighter red on the finish, which lingers nicely.