Coldstream Hills, Reserve Shiraz, Yarra Valley

Screwcap, 13% alc. Medium purple-Ruby, retaining a vibrant hue. Meaty, lead pencil shavings, blackberry, plum sauce, tobacco and spices. Built on acidity, yet possessing fine, chalky tenants. The medium bodied pallet is savoury and sour-edged in the usual cool-climate Shiraz style. Opinion: better than I remember this one; Time has been kind. It fades away a little on the finish, lacking some presence.

Screwcap, 13% alc. Vibrant dark red. Reserved, yet perfumed nose that gives up five spice, white pepper, cherry, raspberry, red licorice, and nutty oak. Refined and silky, balanced palate. Very elegant. Mid-weighted at best. Very good clean length with gentle chalky tannins. Lacking depth however there is something brooding underneath. Very food friendly.

{screwcap, 13%} A little fading garnet at rim, commensurate with a decade in bottle. Nicely aged nose of spice and slightly baked red fruit; blackberry and plum, maybe even some white pepper on top. Mild underlay of smoky oak. Tobacco and spice flavours emerge with time in the glass; tastes perfectly made - medium weight, medium acid, with soft iron filing tannins - but without true depth or complexity on the medium -length finish. Very tidy, a touch anonymous, ready …

Hints of black pepper and anise with some earthiness overlaying cherry/black cherry flavors. This is a nice wine.

TWE Portfolio Tasting (Prince Wine Store, Sydney) : Pepper, cherry and raspberry. Palate shows the cooler climate style but there isn't too much depth to it just yet. I hope that the depth comes with time but I'm not sure it will.

Lifted perfume - black fruits, spice, licorice, earth. More like dark cherry and blackberry on the palate, a hint of sweet red fruits, more licorice, pepper and clove spice and a hint of vanilla. Layers of flavour. Great length and texture. It's a keeper but so enjoyable in its youth.