WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘Shiraz’

It’s not very often that a little ‘ole bottle of red wine can make the hair on the back of my neck stand up – but this red wine sent shivers down both my back and throat, and stamped a purple “toof” grin  on my face for 4 straight nights – count’em 1,2,3,4.

This unruly Aussie red smacked my chops around the room on nights 1 & 2, then said, “Come to Papa” on night 3, and finally surrendered on night 4 saying, “Let’s you and me be friends.” 

This wine is one of four red wines in the d’Arenberg wine portfolio that they playfully named “The Four Musketeers Red”.

The Musketeer red that I had the pleasure of wrastlin’ around with over a four night span was their 2006 “The Footbolt” Shiraz from McLaren Vale, Australia.  This humungous Fruit Bomb, compliments of The Land of Oz has received a lot of attention and accolades from industry big shots like Parker, Wine Spectator and the International Wine Cellar.  After tasting this wine for the first time, I can now see why they all made such a big deal about it.

Here’s the skinny on this wine straight from the winemaker’s mouth:

 “Aromas of dark red fruits, black olive and beef stock open into notes of blueberries and licorice with a savory dried herb edge. The palate shows great balance with blueberry and mulberry fruits, spices and a hint of white pepper on the finish. As always The Footbolt is a very approachable wine in its youth but has the capacity to age for many years”

I’m not so sure if I’d agree with the “a very approachable wine in its youth” part, but…

Here’s my take on the 2006 d’Arenberg Footbolt Shiraz:

• Night #1:  “Holy Cow!… How in the world can anyone just crack the lid off of this sucker and live to talk about it the next morning.”  This wine was breathing fire and told me to come back tomorrow.
• Night #2:  “Hmmm, Excuse Me Sir?? May I please drink you tonight?”  The 2006 Footbolt’s response:  “Man Up partner and we can talk about it.”
• Night #3:  “Are you ready now for us to be friends?”  The 2006 Footbolt’s response:  “Sure, lets get to know one another a little bit better tonight.”
• Night #4:  “You’re actually not the tough little S.O.B. that I thought you were on night #1.  I’m actually starting to like you a whole lot Mr. Footbolt!”  The 2006 Footbolt’s response – “I’m glad you like me kid.  Now you and I can be BFFs.”

If you’d like to learn more about this wine and the rich tradition of winemaking at d’ Arenberg, check out their website.

From: California

Price: $8.99

I love trying new wines, and the fact that this wine was an American-made Shiraz priced under $10, it really sparked my curiosity.

I was expecting and hoping for a great inexpensive American-style Shiraz that possessed some or all of that great Australian big ripe fruit and spice flavor to which I have become accustomed.  Unfortunately, the 2005 Ironstone Vineyards Shiraz fell short of meeting my expectations.  This Shiraz is rather watery and had little to no spice to it.  A pepperoni and sausage pizza couldn’t even breathe some excitement into this American Shiraz.  It was just ok to me.

I give the 2005 Ironstone Vineyards Shiraz 2 Stars.  At $8.99 a bottle, you’ve got several better choices “Down Under”.

WineLife365 Rating: 2-Star

From: Australia

Price: $15.00

Wow! What a long name for a wine… say it with me – 2007 The Winner’s Tank “Eskadale Vineyard” Shiraz Langhorne Creek.  With a mouthful of a name, this wine has to be good, right?

Fortunately, it is.  In fact, it’s very good.  This Shiraz has a dynamite raspberry and cherry flavor. The flavors do linger around a bit, but not long enough for you to say, “Wow, what am I drinking!?”.  The only minor flaw that I tasted in this wine was that it tasted “hot” to me.  “Hot” meaning that the alcohol level of this wine was poking through the fruit flavors.  This Shiraz does contain 15.3% alcohol, which means it’s some high octane juice.

This wine definitely needs food to go along with it.  This ain’t a sipping kind of wine.  2007 The Winner’s Tank “Eskadale Vineyard” Shiraz Langhorne Creek is a very good Australian Shiraz and it definitely has some complex flavors.  I highly recommend that you try it. 

WineLife365 Rating: 3-Star 

From: Australia

Price: $9.95

The 2006 McWilliams Hanwood Estate Shiraz is one of best single-grape red wines that I’ve tasted so far in 2009.  One of my other favorite single-grape red wines was the 2007 Castillo del Baron Monastrell from Spain.

The 2006 McWilliams Shiraz is a very good value Shiraz for under $10 bucks.  It has great cherry, plum, and raspberry flavors with some really nice spice on the finish.  The winemakers do a very nice job with adding just the right amount of American and French oak.  However, it just falls short of 4 stars because it’s not strong enough on it’s own.  It requires just the right type of food to give it an added boost.  I recommend barbecue meats as a pairing for this wine.

For being 100% Shiraz, this red wine has a lot going on.  At only $10, I’d drink this any day of the week.  The McWilliams is a great value wine and a crowd pleaser.  

WineLife365 Rating: 3-Star