Vinoculation

Cellaring wine to advanced age isn’t my thing. No patience, cellar conditions OK at best, and I like primary fruit flavours. Margaret River Shiraz has never floated my boat. And I have no idea where this bottle came from. A random buy from my youth? A generous guest from days gone by? An X file?

Whichever way you look at it, it’s a chance to see how a relatively modest wine from a good producer and vintage ages. And it has done OK.

At the pop of the cork, this immediately smells like Worcestershire sauce, with a minty undertone speaking of a wine still alive. To my surprise an hour of airtime doesn’t see this fall apart, quite the opposite – blueberry and boysenberry fruit comes up, with some baked earth, making this a delight to drink. Tannin and acids are well resolved, and while there isn’t a mile of length, this is a beautifully drinking medium bodied mature wine, well beyond my lowly expectations.

About $20-$25 on release I would guess. Nice drink.