Dominique Portet, Shiraz, Heathcote

Rich ripe Shiraz nose. Deep dark fruit. Quite complex, mint. Fresh and very integrated on the palate. Rich dark fruit. With air this does deteriorate quite quickly: becomes disjointed, the ripeness of the fruit gets a bit cooked. Amazed at how this has survived though, honestly. It’s now a delicious, mellow wine.

In line with my prior bottles.

Much like last bottle. Nose was a bit better, but palate seemed a bit tired on days 2 and 3. Very good QPR for $10 closeout price.

Attractive nose & initiallly decent palate. But fading fast.

Nice. More like a Northern Rhone than Aussie in scale and style. In a good place for consumption, but does not seem in danger of sliding downhill anytime soon.

Bright ruby; tarry, smokey, Rhone-like; tannic, clean fruit, blackberries, violets, muscular, feral; extÕd finish. 17 Dark; heady, sandalwood, white pepper; sweet fruit & spice box, rounded, full bodied, dense; punchy, good length. 15 Rich colour; berried, smokey, heady, clean, blackberries; bold, forceful, with a core of Syrah & purity; mature, fruit fading on long finish. 16

Much better than the last one. Deep red color. Game, herbs, and creme de cassis on the nose. A rather warm, meaty, spicy mouthfeel. Aftertaste mellow and long. Opened up further after two hours - a bit sweeter and mellower still.

Must have been a bad bottle, but I'm not sure why. Dull nose and flattish, warm taste. Maybe a bit sour but not awful. Very unpleasant, lingering, almost plastic-y aftertaste, however - I could still taste it an hour later.

Dark ruby purple in colour; aromas deep and penetrating with a full measure of blackberry fruit, together with some fresh cinnamon bun; silky smooth on entry, with an elegant style; sweet and well delineated blackberry fruit dominates, with some soft velvety tannins underlying; excellent structure; plenty of harmony in this wine; extends out to a lingering finish, where the fruit comes forth, ending eventually with some cherry stone and the soft tannins. This is a very fine Shiraz. Previously I …

Opened a bottle of 2001 Dominique Portet Heathcote Shiraz this evening, feeling it might be a bit young but wanted to see how it would reflect the travel from last Fall. While driving along the road in the Yarra Valley last September, I came across a new winery with the name of Dominique Portet. Knowing Dominique's history, I stopped in to see what thIs development was all about. Here are my notes from this evening. Very dark purple hued ruby …