Rubus - Shiraz

                

Name: Rubus
Varietal: Shiraz
Region: Barossa Valley
Country: Australia
Year: 2018
Price: $7.95

Vintage Cellars Review: Blackberry, currant and blueberry flavors are dense, intense and powerful, mingling with black licorice, sage and spice notes, with a brambly undertone. A spicy hint lingers on the finish. Drink now through 2030. 1,200 cases made. - 91

Flavors/Aromas: (Pgs. 172-173, 206) Shiraz is known as a powerful and rich wine with hints of blackberry, blueberry, and plum, along with milk chocolate, tobacco, and green peppercorn. Luckily for me, the Barossa Valley is known for producing arguably the best Shiraz in the world, though I doubt this particular bottle comes from one of those coveted century-old vines.

My Review: Crikey! This thing packs a punch! After getting the blackberry and plum on the first sniff, my actual commencing taste was dominated by a spiciness that I have never really experienced before in wine, contributing to an overall bold mouth feel. While the plum flavor was definitely dominant at first, more and more black licorice and mint (?) came through later, the combination of which provided a very diverse tasting experience. Also, I didn't really notice much dryness at the beginning, but the tannins certainly kicked in as I got further down the bottle; I assume the spice was so overpowering the tannic content needed more time than usual to break through. All in all, I am really glad to have tried this, though I will likely try decanting it next time I purchase from this variety of grape to see if it will mellow a bit.

Food Pairing: I tried this wine alongside some fried rice with sriracha, with the express purpose to see what would happen if the spiciness cancels out. I was not disappoint, as the Shiraz presented more of it's milder dark berry flavors while remaining relatively light on the palate.