This is the first of a 4 vintage vertical tasting of this fabulous Shiraz.  I managed to find the ’09,’10 and ’11  on my travels while the ’12 was sent courtesy of the folks downunda.

I started off by sending the first glass throughout the Vinturi and then I performed the Mollydooker Shake on the rest of the bottle to open it up some.  What I saw was a deep inky purple wine that showed off some gorgeous damson plums and Dr. Pepper soda on the nose.  The first sip was amazing.  Blueberry pie, blackcurrant and nutmeg formed the basis of the flavor profile with some smoke and ink lingering on the mid palate.  The level of fruit is amazing and the focus is razor sharp.  The wine coats the mouth with the multiple layers of fruit and leaves it rather refreshed by the fine grained, well integrated tannins.  The acidity is totally in balance and there is no dryness to the finish.  The word ‘concentrated’ keeps popping in my head, I guess I should tell you that this wine is very focused on giving you its all, up front and direct.  It is a powerful wine that is not for the faint of palate.  Hiding in the swirls of fruit and oak is a well disguised 16% alcohol, not once making its presence known, yet crucial to the backbone of this extracted beast.

I thought this one out and decided to pair some NY Strips with it, going for a lower fat cut due to the relative age on the wine.  I also prepared some riced cauliflower with sautéed jalapeños and some green beans with toasted almonds.  The combination was perfect with the heat of the jalapeños giving the wine a new dimension while the steaks provided the texture I was looking for to offset the raw power of the wine.

This wine got an average of 93.5 points from the big boys and I am in agreement.  94 points from me for this $90 treat which makes it a solid 4 star wine in my books.  I would love to re-visit in 5 years but alas I only bought one bottle.  If you can find it you may want to try it, it’s that good.  Besides, the artwork is fabulous on these bottles.  Salut….