2005 Greenock Creek Alice's Shiraz
Grape Variety: Shiraz
Region: Barossa Valley, Australia
Food pairing: Grilled dry-aged rib-eye steak

These days, it may seem that 96 point Barossa Shiraz is about as rare as a wallaby in the same parts. (Though I have to admit I have absolutely no idea how rare a Barossa wallaby really is.) But should you find yourself stumbling across the Barossa Valley looking for a wallaby, chances are you'd trip over a high-scoring Shiraz or two along the way. There may or may not be a river of it. We can neither confirm nor deny.

That doesn't mean, however, that Greenock Creek is just another high-scoring Shiraz in a sea of such wine. On the contrary, Greenock is quite special in its own right. Owned by Michael and Annabelle Waugh, this winery, as Jay Miller of the Wine Advocate puts it, "remains one of South Australia's most iconic wineries. Start with great terroir, add in old vine material and meticulous winemaking, and end with extraordinary results." Certainly sounds like a recipe for success. The 2005 Shiraz that they lovingly named "Alice's" spent 28 months in seasoned American oak hogsheads rather than the more typically favored French Oak barriques, lending a spicier, cigar-box character to the already meaty old-vine grapes. Layers of blueberry, smoke, game and truffle made this wine what is, and not surprisingly, earned it 96 points from the Wine Advocate.

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/australia/72553.html

Gary's Wine Club June 2009 Selection: 2006 John Duval Plexus

2006 John Duval Plexus
Grape variety: Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvedre
Region: Barossa Valley, Australia
Food pairing: Grilled kebabs of smoked bacon-wrapped scallops and figs

Australia, admittedly, makes some fantastic smack-you-across-the-face style Shiraz. Thankfully, however, that's not the only game in town. John Duval manages to reign it all in a little with their Plexus blend of Shiraz, Grenache, and Mourvedre from various regions within the Barossa Valley, creating a wine that's refreshingly multi-dimensional. All three grapes get to shine here: the bold Shiraz that makes the base of the wine, the old bush vine Grenache and the even older (some vines topping out at a century) Mourvedre. Critic Josh Raynolds said of the previous vintage, "I love the interplay of sweet, juicy fruit, supple tannins and understated oak. Finishes with the clarity, complexity and persistence of wines that cost three times the price. One of the greatest values in Australian wine today." The wine lived up to the rep again this year, when Raynolds described it as "Sappy and fresh, with vivid raspberry, cherry and smoky mineral flavors finishing clean, brisk and juicy."

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/australia/75298.html

Gary's Wine Club June 2009 Selection: 2006 Oliverhill Clarendon Shiraz

2006 Oliverhill Clarendon Shiraz
Grape Variety: Shiraz
Region: McLaren Vale, Australia
Food pairing: Grilled duck breasts with blueberry-sage sauce


To all of us a half a world away from the Australian continent, this country often seems like a "big production" place, where rivers of critter wines must flow for miles on end. Walking past the case-stacks of our big-name Aussie brands, we often forget that Australia has its little guys too. And these little guys are making some truly unique, hand-selected and hand-crafted wines. In McLaren Vale, there is a stretch of dirt along Seaview Road along which some of the best fruit in the continent is grown. This fruit makes it into the likes of Penfolds Grange and Rosemount's Balmoral, among others, and right smack in the middle of all of this is a tiny winery called Oliverhill.

Here, the grapes are cropped back to only two tons per acre before they're harvested, fermented, and aged in 20% new oak for 16 months. The resulting wine strikes a balance between smoky, earthy flavors and black and blue berry fruits with a nice structure that should allow it to age well for at least five or six years to come.

http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/australia/67844.html