Shirvington, Shiraz, McLaren Vale

2 hour decant. Beautiful nose of cigar, pepper, bacon/smoke. Little underwhelmed by soft fruit. Quite spicy, high tannin. Wouldn't sit on this any longer

Popped and poured straight from the bottle. The wine remains a very dark purple with just a hint of rim. The bouquet is big with lots of cedar and cigar tobacco notes. The flavors are very muted given the bright and heavy tannins at this time. The cigar notes are most prominent. While I can enjoy this wine tonight as I love tobacco flavors in my red wines, I am not sure this wine is meant to last much longer …

Quite tasty. Perhaps a bit acidic, noticeable while in the mouth rather than after. Oak present but a bit muted. Smooth and integrated with age. Tannins mild. Silky and pleasant, elegant even.

Wine&Cheese at Block 53 (Somapah) : Needed time to really open up, ~1 hour. Lush, deep dark berries, thick and concentrated, structured nose. Dark ashy leather, chewy black pepper, yet sweet and juicy, with a leathery intensity and fine silky tannins. Initially fresh, with time, some port characters emerge. Definitely developed, and drinking. High alcohol (15.5%) but cleverly balanced with structure and concentration. Finishes with sweet tea-leaf and black earth. Needs food, thankfully nicely paired with beemster and crumbly cheddar.

Was a bit disappointed with this, as it started with some nice structure for an Aussie shiraz, but the fruit ended up coming across as cloying and overripe, especially on the finish.