~$25US, 100% Shiraz, South Australia

When it comes to wine, expectations can really mess with you. Sometimes you pick a wine (for whatever reason) and when you drink it, it rocks you, surprises you, or falls flat on it’s face. Other times, you pick a wine drink it and it just delivers the goods. I heard that Chris Ringland had a few mid-price Shiraz projects in the pipeline, and when I saw it on the shelf, I nabbed it, knowing full well that this was probably a ridiculously-alcoholic-palate-hijacking-full-throttle-fruit-bonanza. But hey, it’s Friday.

Color: Black, with a purple rim
Nose: Skittles, plum pie filling, alcohol, vanilla ice-cream, lipstick, ganache
Palate: Big, ripe and round, port-like in its sweetness. Fair acidity and alcoholic heat keep things in order, as the tannins are well-mellowed. This is an intense palate assault - it just moshes in your mouth, hitting all the tastebuds, especially the tip of the tongue. It’s like the stuff inside the purple Gushers. Fun stuff.
Finish: Very long and oily. The alcohol bites with little bitterness. Black pepper and a peroxide note linger.

It delivered.

~$40US 100% Shiraz, Mclaren Vale Australia

This is the upper-tier Shiraz by Marquis Philips. It was deep deep purple - almost black in the glass. Super-intense nose of black fruits, some licorice and basil, and a huge cloud of alcohol. The intensity and juiciness of the nose makes this wine pretty attractive. Huge amounts of concentrated blackberry fruits and grape jam, then some mocha and dark chocolate. This much fruit is tough to keep in balance; the soft tannins and the alcoholic bite tried, but could not stand up to the fruit. Finished more like a fine spirit - an aged rum or tequila than a wine. I am not sure what this would be like in 10-15 years, or after 5-8 hours in the decanter - but hopefully some of the alcohol would blow off and the fruit soften and round out. This is hard to recommend when the MP Sarah’s Blend or the Mollydooker Shiraz’s can be had at less than half the price and offer a very similar experience, overall.

Well-made, but an untamed, wild wine, massive in all respects.