2003 Henry's Drive Shiraz
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Tasting notes
The 2003 Shiraz is a full-bodied, opulently-styled red that smells of creme de cassis and blackberry liqueur intermixed with smoky meats, espresso roast, jammy black fruits, licorice, earth, and toasty new oak. It should evolve nicely for a decade or more. Full-throttle Shiraz are fashioned by winemaker Kim Johnston from vineyards owned by the Longbottom family. This is an unabashed, flamboyant, Aussie wine that is loaded with fruit, fragrance, glycerin, and intensity. This is the type of wine that Eurocentric wine tasters and condescending elitists tend to dismiss, but it is a fascinating effort the likes of which are made nowhere else in the world. There is certainly no shortage of flavor, and if you like your wines exuberant, flamboyant, and over-sized, this wine fills the tab, and then some. Importer: Dan Philips, The Grateful Palate, Oxnard, CA; tel. (888) 472-5283
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Dark ruby. A dense, imploded black hole of a nose, reluctantly giving up notes of ripe plum, prune, fruitcake, molasses and dark chocolate. Thick and syrupy in the mouth, with strong flavors of vanillin oak, dark chocolate, maple syrup and eucalyptus. Persistent, clinging finish. But I find this hard to drink.
The 2003 Shiraz is a full-bodied, opulently-styled red that smells of creme de cassis and blackberry liqueur intermixed with smoky meats, espresso roast, jammy black fruits, licorice, earth, and toasty new oak. It should evolve nicely for a decade or more. Oct 2005, www.robertparker.com