Decant 4 hours – Drank New Year’s Day 2017
Its NYE, I have had a good sip, so I poke around in the cellar under the house that was built almost a hundred years ago and is dimly lit by a single 60 watt globe, not the house the cellar. ..and I spot a dusty bottle simply labelled Wendouree Shiraz Malbec A. P. Briks Clare South Australia 2001 Bugger me!
I have been saving this wine for a special occasion and living long enough to enjoy this wine was just the excuse I needed, as the chap that recommended this wine, Tony Lewis passed away almost two years ago and I know he would have liked to have a glass. Wow! Truly Wow! 15 years old.
This wine opened with such power. On the nose, sweet dark rich ripe fruit with hints of hard black liquorice, dense blackberry and mulberry fruit. Supported by light kitchen spice and what may have been Indian ink and mint lurking on the back plate too many things going on. Ripe tannins and fresh vibrant flavours that I was not expecting from a 15 year old. This wine must have years ahead of it, but drink it now and be ready for a wine experience.
The wine is firm yet plush with velvet like tannins that have integrated with the fruit giving you a wonderful generous wine that excited my plate as the flavours refused to go away, hanging on long after each sip. Truly this wine will change the way I view Australian wine forever. This has caught me by surprise as it has brought me as much pleasure if not more than a ripe Bordeaux I had recently at far more than $80.00 bloody dollars I might add and in a strange way similar in taste? Strange statement I know.
If you can track down a bottle spoil your self. From the second the cork came out I was in wine heaven. I believe this wine will just get better and better, with age. However this will be my Bench mark for Shiraz Malbec as I can still taste the wine 20 minutes after the last glass.
MAX @ WINEREVIEWS
I enjoyed this wine with a rustic French Cassoulet filled with lamb cutlets, duck sausage and chicken swimming in white beans and a wonderful brown onion gravy all mopped up homemade crusty sourdoe bread sticks.
What a way to start the year, 2017 may she bring us Health – Wealth – and Wine Happiness.
Michael Lillis
