Ranked #21 of 104 2005 Shiraz from Barossa Valley
92/100
4 Stars
Huon Hooke
Medium red, barely any purple. Celery, herbal, slightly oxidative. Fruitcake, spiced Christmas cake. Palate is savoury, dry-finishing and lacks fruit depth. Mature; no primary fruit evident. Falls away to an ordinary, dried-out finish. Rich, reasonable layering. Mature: cannot see it doing much in future. Not overbuilt: I could drink more of this.
Tasted: 08/10/2010
Drink: 2011 to 2022
94 Points James Halliday
The bouquet offers dark, dense, mocha fruit with a notable fruitcake spice presence; the palate is full and rich, almost brutish at first, but the fruit comes to the fore late in the piece while the charry oak also provides lift; has a harmonious finish. Drink to 2024.
Source: James Halliday.