Australia’s Gold Standard

Australia does a number of things right. One of those things just happens to be wine, which makes me happy. They also tend to produce quality wine at a good price which makes my wife happy when balancing the checkbook. Shiraz has been the wine of choice for Aussie producers to stamp there mark upon. Based on the reviews below, I think they’ve definitely done a great job with that.
2005 Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend

At $12, this blend of Shiraz, Cab and Merlot was nothing fancy.  But it did not really try to be either.  It was a very fruit-forward wine, with integrated tannins and a nice smooth finish.  Good chocolate and raspberry flavors persist through a finish that lingered just long enough.  If you enjoy a ton of fruity flavor in your wine, this is a great wine for you. Overall, it is a nice bargain.

Rating: 90
2004 Innocent Bystander Shiraz/Viognier

This was a very well-made wine. This blend reminded me more of a California Syrah I’ve had recently in that it wasn’t the big monster wine that most Australian Shiraz tends to be. Instead the wine had notes of mushrooms and lavender, along with mocha and hints of tobacco. The body was smooth and round on the palate and the finish was also very nice. I would say this wine tended more towards the French style of syrah. It was a solid wine and great value for the price of $15.

Rating: 91pts
2004 Aramis Black Label Shiraz

The nose was full of blueberries and raspberries with hints of Asian spices and white pepper too. The taste was big and rich – a fairly full-bodied wine, that starts off a little tight, but within an hour is nice and lush. There’s a lot of good fruit here too. There was some tannins in the wine but they were already integrated well into the mid-plate. Flavor components include those same raspberries along with some chocolate and tobacco notes. The finish was medium length, and very smooth. Overall this wine was very enjoyable. Priced around $20

Rating: 92 pts

2004 Kilikanoon Shiraz Parable

This was a big meaty wine with a spicy nose and lots blue and blackberry flavors. My first taste was overwhelmed with oak and earthiness. There were huge tannins. Even after 3 hours, they are still big and vibrant. The wine possessed flavors of chocolate cake and raspberries, followed by earth and tobacco. By the 3rd hour, the wine had sweet fruit, big tannins and earthy tar, along with tremendous grip. There were notes of tobacco and leather mixed with green bell pepper and spice box.

Rating: 94pts

Wine Reviews australia, red wine, shiraz