2003 Eden Hall Shiraz-Viognier

DATE CONSUMED

Saturday, March 2, 2013

VINTAGE

2003

WINERY/PRODUCER

Eden Hall

WINE NAME

Shiraz-Viognier

TYPE OF WINE

Red blend

COMPOSITION

95% Shiraz, 5% Viognier

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/APPELLATION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Eden Valley (a sub-appellation of the Barossa Valley), Australia

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.5%

PRICE PAID

$19.99

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

I got four bottles from winestilsoldout.com (wtso.com) in February 2013 for $19.99 a bottle with free shipping.

BOUQUET

This wine has a gorgeous, chalky/earthy, herbal/spicy, dark-fruited nose.  Based on how dark this wine pours and the nice bouquet, I can’t WAIT to taste this beauty!

TASTING NOTES

Wow, this is a FANTASTIC Australian Shiraz (with 5% Viognier added to make things even more interesting; the Aussies are famous for adding a bit of Viognier to their Shiraz; based on how successful that can be, I wonder why other countries don’t do that?!?!).  First thing I noticed: this wine doesn’t just pour dark; this wine is practically black (and that is NOT an exaggeration).  If you like dark, rich, creamy, smoky, spicy, fruity, inky Australian Shiraz, this is YOUR wine!

There is an abundance of dark/black/blue fruits up front (plums, black berries, blueberries), along with a basketful of savory herbs like sage, rosemary, and a truckload of black pepper.  Being 10-years-old-ish, this wine is beautifully well-aged, with smooth, silky tannins, mellow, perfectly-structured acidity, with a smoky and slightly oaky undercurrent.  Eden Hall managed to extract every last nuance of flavor, color, and aroma from their grapes when making this fantastic wine.  This is one of the best Australian Shiraz I’ve EVER had.  Quite frankly, this is one of the best Syrahs I’ve ever had.

This wine is a perfect example why people should properly age/cellar their red wines.  One of my biggest pet peeves in the world: restaurants that are selling 2011 red wines, which, no matter the varietal and no mater what region they come from, are WAY too young to be drunk in March, 2013.  In a perfect world, most (practically all?) red wines should be aged/cellared for at least five to ten years.  Most wines that have had time to mature and mellow-out (like the wine under review here) exhibit creamy, silken tannins that aren’t as exuberant and obnoxious as they were when they were only two or three-years-old.  Young wines can be fruitier, more acidic, and more astringent.  In my humble opinion, that’s NOT an ideal situation.  I prefer the more mellow and creamy reds that show maturity and depth-of-flavors (like this shinning example). 

This wine is THEE perfect reason why any/everybody should be a member of winestilsoldout.com (wtso.com, and no, I have no affiliation with the organization).  They send out e-mails with offers on wines where wineries are blowing-out their inventories they need to sell/get rid of.  Sometimes the wines are new, but (as is the case with this wine) sometimes the wineries need room (or the money?) to make room for their new vintages.  This is one of the best wines I’ve ever bought on wtso.com.  This is a phenomenal wine for $20 a bottle.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this fabulous red with an old stand-by: thick rib eyes spiced with Kosher salt, black pepper, and Herbs de Provence, smothered in Arthur’s world-famous mushrooms.    As one would expect, this wine paired PERFECTLY with the steaks.  Because of the rich, creamy, spicy elements of this wine, this wine would also pair well with curried lamb shanks and just about any/every other red meat dish (lamb chops, meat loaf, prime rib, etc.).

AGING POTENTIAL

This wine is drinking unbelievably/gorgeously right now and thanks to its “legs” (structure), I would imagine it would continue to mature and age beautifully well for another five to ten years.

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

94

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

EXCELLENT (based on the wtso.com price of $19.99 a bottle)

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.edenhall.com.au/

Wines til sold out: http://wtso.com/