2003 Shiraz Creek Block

Pure perfection, the 2003 Shiraz Creek Block was fashioned from a 65-year-old vineyard that yielded one ton of fruit per acre. This full-bodied, multifaceted effort reveals tremendous notes of bacon fat interwoven with black raspberries, blackberries, cassis, pen ink, graphite, incense, and acacia flowers. The finish lasts well past a minute. Although not the most powerful Shiraz (15.5% alcohol), to my mind it is the best of this portfolio, and is superior to the limited production, super-duper expensive Roennfeldt cuvees. Importer: Dan Philips, The Grateful Palate, Oxnard, CA; tel. (888) 472-5283