I blinked and, in addition to putting on a few kilos, missed the last couple of vintages of this wine. Which is a shame, as I thought the 2005 rather good.
This looks a lot darker and more serious than the earlier wine, an impression borne out by the nose. This is dense, full of squishy dark plums, laced with black pepper and spice. There's a sappy edge too that contributes sophistication and a bit of funkiness to the aroma profile. I especially like the spiciness of the aroma - it tends towards dark, roasted spice and nuts rather than a lighter, more floral character one sees in some other cooler climate Shirazes. To level one criticism, the whole is a bit blunt, taking a caveman approach to seduction. It may be that time will teach it more subtly persuasive ways.
The palate remains dense and dark within a medium bodied frame. The entry is precise and cool, hitting the tongue with a satisfying sense of controlled movement. There's no great widening on the middle palate, as acid and tannin combine to keep things on the straight and narrow. I find I like this type of wine more and more; there is a tantalising aesthetic tension when hedonism is combined with tautly expressed structure and shape. The middle and after palates pull their punches a bit, never delivering the sort of intensity demanded by the other elements. The flavour profile turns towards a sappy, savoury, oaky expression as the wine moves towards its reasonable finish.
My kind of wine stylistically; I'm just left wanting a bit more oomph from the fruit. I doubt, however, there'll be any left in the bottle tonight.
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