Beauty of an Aussie

[canestfr]

1998 Clarendon Hills Shiraz Hickinbotham Vineyard

It isn't every day that I go pulling the cork out of a 11 year old bottle so I figured I'd take a stab at my first review to go with it. Paired with grilled beef and spinach salad with balsamic vinegar and salt.

If you closed your eyes and took a sip of this you wouldn't know that you weren't drinking something from the Northern Rhone. It tasted like a Hermitage that only the insanely wealthy could afford to drink regularly (and I've only sampled). Herbacious, tanic, and satisfying. Many scents from the spice cabinet on the nose. Almost too complex to single out any individuals. Spicy muscular flavors still lingering after 20 minutes. Exactly what a French Syrah should be...but grown thousands of miles away in Australia. No wonder to me that I'm falling more in love with Aussie Shiraz. I just can't get enough.

This with a chunk of lamb or some big game dish would be about as good as it gets.

After words I smoked a HdM Petit Robusto. Classic Cuban profile and perfect balance of finesse and strength. Spicey and complex at the same time.

I could have died happy.

Sorry about the blur:

http://s640.photobucket.com/albums/uu121/c...0512091845a.jpg

[ChicagoWhiteSox]

Thanks for the review. Sounds like a great experience.