Henry's Drive Reserve Shiraz 2002 (Padthaway, Australia)

Nose here is now nicely integrated - meaty, toasted oak, Andes Mint. Previously (1-2 years ago) this had the aromatic clarity of a campfire in a pine forest. No overt sense of the 16% alcohol on the nose.

Alcohol still peeks out at the edges in the mouth, but huge, sweet, mouth-filling flavor lingers. I don't get any meaningful complexity, though, no reason to keep coming back.

I must admit that I want to like this wine, as there is much to admire. But ultimately it is something of a freak show, someone bound to get hurt.



$50 approx.

Clarendon Hills Brookman Syrah 2002 (Clarendon, Australia)

Deep, sl. hazy red. A bit wild on the nose, green at first, then goes to roasted peanut, pepper (green and black), thick red and black fruit comes late. Grilled sausage too. Really deep and packed aromatically.

In the mouth this is huge, dense and confectionary with a saline edge that aids acid/tannin structure. Wow. Shows a bit of alcohol. Long, subtle (believe it or not) finish of earth and Chambord.


Day 2 - Nose is wild again, green and feral. Something tells me this is going to need many more years to sort itself out.
In the mouth this is similar to Day 1, perhaps a bit more constricted in the mouth.

This has been a very controversial bottling, but seems to be getting closer to Parker's vision of it. My previous 2 bottles, 2-3 years ago, were green and obviously Bretty (shit-inflected). But this bottle seems to be getting through that stage. I'm not sure I'd bet cash on it, however.


$60 approx.

Forefather's Shiraz McClaren Vale 2004

Deep red. Nice, sl. confectionary nose - blueberry, raspberry cream, oak toast and an earth/sulfide note that really takes this out of the fruit-bomb camp. Sl. saline. Nice acid-definition, keeps everything in bounds, although maybe a bit more than necessary.
Quite long, lingering pure black and red fruit finish. Very tasty.

This was a gift, but I'd say $30 approx.

L'Ecole 41 Syrah Seven Hills Vyd 2004 (Walla Walla Valley)

Deep red. Earthy/potato skin/Am. oak spice nose. Middle-weight in mouth, taut, acid-enhanced earthy character dominant in mouth too. Tannin is fairly fine, but I don't see how this is going to improve in the bottle.

Better on Day 2 - earthy/peanut character more integrated, better mid-palate and length. Still primarily acid-driven, unfortunately, as there isn't enough fruit density/stuffing to back it up.

$40 approx.

Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz 2005

Deep red, not opaque.Full nose of spicy fig/date, hint of game. No noticeable oak. Full and relatively sweet in the mouth initially. Then a bit odd - with an acid/VA sharpness that really clamps down on fruit expression. May simply need some air (this was not decanted), bottled under screwcap.

Day 2 - Slightly better in the mouth, but not much. A green note now too, bordering on jalapeno. Glad this is my last bottle.



$15 (Costco)

Hirtzberger Gruner Veltliner Honivogl 2004 (Austria)

Classic Gruner nose of sl. pungent, peppery grapefruit zest. Very pure, a hallmark of Hirtzberger's wines. Takes over the mouth with flavors mirroring nose, seems to have a decent amount of RS, which helps enrich and lengthen fruit component. Mineral character and good acidity really clarify (delicious) flavors. Chewy, almost tannic impression. Great length. Not yet complex.

Tasted at 60F approx.

$45 approx.

Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vyd 1999 (Sonoma Coast)

Pale bright yellow - could easily be a current release. Completely integrated nose of toast, truffle/sulfide, lemon oil and zest. This is changing constantly in glass. A savory meat and mineral character comes into play, plus some stuff that I can't articulate (what the hell is that?).
Nice sweetness in the mouth, with caramel, truffle and lemon repeating. The Marc Vyd always shows more mineral character than the 3 Sisters bottling and a certain tannic streak which takes time to ease up.
Completely fills the mouth with flavor and fine-grained chewiness.

It's time to drink the '99s. The 3 Sisters has been beautiful for at least a couple of years, but this is the first bottle of the '99 Marc Vyd. that has finally digested most of its tannic spine.

Tasted at 60F approx.

$100 approx.