G'day all,
Last night Mrs Ozzie and I were enjoying yet another delectable feast at the Apostates' Restaurant, just down the road from Australia Bethel, and needed a top wine to complement it.
So what did we order from their cellar?
We thought a change was in order from the familiar Devil's Lair Shiraz (an appropriate label for the Apostates' Restaurant don't you think?) so we selected this one from that great guy Brian McGuigan:
It's the Black label Shiraz - I think we have told you about this one before, but it's certainly worth the $20 it cost.
Here's Ben's notes:
| Region: | South Australia |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Tasting Notes | |
| Colour: | Dark purple red |
| Nose: | Some regional definition along with intense black currant, cassis chocolate aromas. Toasty charred American oak is also apparent. |
| Palate: | A full bodied wine with soft fine grained tannins, rich palate and good persistence. Strong Shiraz fruit flavours of pepper, spice and cherry are complimented by a subtle underlay of coconut / vanillin American oak. Excellent balance. |
| General: | The 2001 season was reasonably benevolent in South Australia with fruit having good varietal definition and excellent tannin / colour development. The fruit used in this blend is mainly from the Barossa floor with a small portion being from Bordertown. The wine in this blend was matured in both 1 and two year old American oak for 18 months giving a subtle oak undercurrent and soft tannin structure. |
| Technical Data | |
| pH: | 3.55 |
| TA: | 6.2 g/l |
| VA: | 0.73g/l |
| S02: | 22/42ppm |
| Alc: | 14.1% |
Mrs Ozzie loved it! So if you're planning on attending our get-together at the Apostates' Restaurant next Sunday, you may lioke to consider this one. Of course, the specialty is still the Devil's Lair Shiraz!
Cheers, Ozzie