Mainly The Latest Shiraz Releases As the weather is so warm, I guess the time is right to start on these thick chocolatey wines - how will the old favourites perform and is there something new to be searched out? So, taking the wines in no particular order here's 14 teeth stainers: 2001 Kirralaa, Cabernet Sauvignon - South Eastern Australia Here we have the first release of wines from a partnership between the Oatley family (of Rosemount fame) and the ever traveling Robert Mondavi. The wine is almost opaque but with a red a red cherry rim. The nose is quite subdued but there are some high fruity tones similar to blueberry. Good fruit and acidity on the palate. The tannins gradually creep up on you. Whilst probably not exceptional at the price, this is still a very good fruit driven wine. 2001 Kirralaa, Bushvine Shiraz - South Eastern Australia Very dark colour, just showing a purple rim. The nose shows high tones set against deep plummy notes. There are medium tannins and good acidity. Really good concentration of fruit which finishes with a good creamy length. This is very tasty and for the price I'd say this is very interesting. 2000 Bremerton, Selkirk Shiraz - Langhorne Creek Medium-deep cherry red. The nose is relatively subdued, showing a little pepper, chocolate and perhaps mint too. The palate is nicely fresh with very good acidity complimenting the black fruit. Good length. Whilst not outstanding in any way, the overall package makes for a very nice wine. 2001 Bremerton, Explorer Shiraz - Langhorne Creek This is a special release to mark the 150th anniversary of vine planting in the Langhorne Creek area and my favourite wine of this bunch - I bought some. Deeply coloured with a purple rim. Excellent nose which can only be a concentrated oz shiraz. Sweet, concentrated palate of black fruits well integrated wood and good tannins. Very well balanced with a creamy length. This is very good even at this higher price (43 S.Fr) 2000 Langmeil Winery, Valley Floor Shiraz - Barossa Medium-plus cherry red. Deep nose with sweet oak dominating the expresso! Fat palate with grainy tannin and good acidity. Again there's a lot of oak character on the palate too - in fact a little too much for my own taste - but good wine with a good length. 2000 Pirramimma, Stock's Hill Shiraz - McLaren Vale Deep cherry red. High toned nose of black berry fruits. Explodes in the mouth with good acidity and grainy tannins. Again black fruit on the palate. This is very good, indeed excellent for the price - almost got the nod as the new house wine for chez nanson. 2000 Pirramimma, White Label Shiraz - McLaren Vale I found the 1999 version an excellent wine - but because the nose was so obviously menthol - my wife didn't like the medicine effect. This wine is almost a saturated ruby colour. There's a pronounced, slightly spicy, plummy shiraz nose. Very concentrated palate with good acidity and medium-plus tannins. This is lovely - and despite the relatively high price (29 S.Fr) got the award as house wine 2003. 2000 Pirramimma, White Label Cabernet Sauvignon - McLaren Vale Deep ruby colour. High blackcurrant tones on the nose, perhaps some plum too. Very fruit driven palate with good acidity. Not the fat of some wines, but I really liked the overall style - concentrated but highly drinkable. Very good. 2000 Pirramimma, White Label Petit Verdot - McLaren Vale I remember getting a taste of the 1999 version but there wasn't enough for the retailer to sell. If my memory stretches back well enough I remember a striking wine with lots of interesting aspects - but which didn't quite gel on the night. This one does. Very deep in colour, showing just a little purple. The nose is a little spicy - even minty with an underlying sense of black fruit. Super concentrated fruit on the palate. Good acidity and velvetty medium-plus tannins. The flavours linger really well. This is excellent and another wine I bought - come to think of it, if I hadn't bought the Bremerton Explorer Shiraz - it would have been a clean sweep of Pirramimma purchases! 2001 Saltram, Metala Shiraz - Langhorne Creek Almost saturated purple. Sweet blackberry nose - but corked. Next bottle showed a sweet palate with lots of confiture fruit, good acidity and well hidden tannins. Good, but for my taste not exceptional this year, 2000 was exceptional for the price this isn't - just a bit too jammy. So last year's house wine is demoted again! 1999 Robertson's Well, Shiraz - Coonawarra Medium-deep ruby colour. The nose shows meat notes together with plum pie. The fat palate has pronounced black fruit and strong acidity. The tannins are not bad and there's also a decent length to the finish. A good and quite interesting wine. 2001 Saltram, Mamre Brook Shiraz - Barossa Medium-deep cherry colour. High toned nose of fresh blackcurrant and blueberry. Good concentration of of black fruits on the palate with medium tannins and nice acidity. Finishes with a hint of cream - this is very good. 2001 Paringa, Individual Vineyard Shiraz - South Australia I'm not sure what 'individual vineyard' means, but here we go: Deep ruby colour with a cherry rim. Slightly subdued nose but it hints at extra depth. Very good fruit on the palate mainly black in profile. Slightly grainy tannin and good acidity. This is a very fruit-driven style which I find rather good. For the price of 16 S.Fr I'd say excellent - almost got the nod for the house wine. 1999 Hardys, Private Bin Cabernet Shiraz - South Eastern Australia Medium ruby colour with a cherry rim. The nose is high toned and a little mineral with red fruits. Mild tannins and good acidity with just a little bitterness in the finish. The fruit is not bad though - particularly for the price - of just under 10 S.Fr. © nanson.ch 2000-2003