Reviewed: 1 January 2013

What is not to like about shiraz? There were some excellent wines on display from quite diverse regions.

The wines from Mount Pleasant are worth a mention due to the old-vines fruit that is used to make these. These wines must surely be some of the best value old-vines shiraz available.

The big surprise for me was just how good the Ad Hoc shiraz is. This is one of Larry Cherubino’s brands and it is excellent value.

Reviewed

Mount Pleasant – Shiraz – Maurice O’Shea – 2010 (18 – 18.5). Beautifully ripe, yet fragrant fruit on the nose. There is tremendous concentration of fruit on the palate, with the fruit soaking up the high quality oak. In the glass, this became inky and developed chocolate-like fruit aromas. Long and savoury, this is an elegant wine of charm. Needs 5 – 10 years to really hit its straps.

Mount Pleasant – Shiraz – Old Paddock and Old Hill – 2010 (18+). A smart wine that has lovely up-front fruit though the whole package is very subdued at first. The fruit and oak quality are excellent and this is a wine of great potential. The next day, this was a revelation! High quality fruit and oak combine to make a complex wine of real potential.

Cherubino – Shiraz – Laissez Faire – Syrah – 2011 (18). Opens with dense plumy fruit, spice (cloves) and sweet oak highlights. There is white pepper to the fore on a palate that is lean and savoury, making this ideally suited to food. Builds depth on the very long finish and is likely to improve for many years. A smart modern wine.

The Lane – Shiraz – Block 5 – 2011 (17.8). Sweet, floral fruit with a touch of vanillin oak and even candy. This also shows really spicy white pepper. The palate is full of white pepper, with floral highlight and licorice on the close. Dense fruit and fine tannins, with souring acidity to hold it all together. A modern, cool-area wine.

Ad Hoc – Shiraz – Middle of Everywhere – 2011 (17.7). Closed at first on the nose but develops ripe berries with air. The palate is dense and chocolaty, with bitter almonds to close. This is quite savoury on the finish really. A smart wine but really needs another 5+ years as the very fine tannins are surprisingly firm on the finish. A modern, complex wine with superb length. A remarkable wine given that this is well down the pecking order in the Cherubino line-up.

Grant Burge – Shiraz – Balthasar – 2008 (17.5+). Lovely sweet fruit with a touch of cedar and spice on the nose. The palate shows licorice, mulberry, blueberry and pepper. Long, the fruit is a touch linear now, but this will evolve with time and there is nice texture to close. With air, this opens to show plum fruits and becomes really good drinking. (I rated this very highly, though some felt that the hot vintage produced a wine with very ripe fruit characters).

Yerring Station – Shiraz/Viognier – 2010 (17.5). Earthy aromas and flavours here. Dense, ripe fruit of very high quality that is quite restrained. With air, the wine develops coffee, tar and chocolate characters. The finish is very long, if a touch sturdy now. Give it 5 years.

Mount Pleasant – Shiraz – Rosehill – 2010 (17). Attractive berry fruit with pepper and a touch of savoury soy characters. Compared to its big brothers this is not that long or dense, but this is, however, an easy drinking red that has lovely mouth-feel and fruit.

West Cape Howe – Shiraz – 2011 (17). An attractive wine that has quite soft, forward and ripe fruit and nice grip on the finish. Medium-bodied and spicy, the fruit really opens up on the finish and is complemented by a touch of savoury oak and fine tannins. European in style and a lovely drink now or in five to ten years.