Greenock Creek Roennfeldt Road Shiraz - My 500th Post

I have been thinking what I should put up as my 500th post. It had to be special. It had to be Australian. I have done a number of reports on Grange and Hill of Grace, so what else? Then I remembered I had this one bottle of 2002 Greenock Creek Roennfeldt Road Shiraz. This is a Parker 100 pointer, as many of Australia's number one cult wine are (Australia's Screaming Eagle?).

I thought 2002 might be drinkable, as it was a cooler vintage. One reviewer said this wine tasted of a burnt down jam factory and then proceeded to give the wine a high score. I was a little worried, I have never tasted a 'Roennfeldt Road' before.

After struggling to finish a glass of this wine a couple of nights ago (16.5% alcohol), I was a little puzzled. The underlying fruit is fantastic. You could taste hints of every berry imaginable, the purity was great, and the wine has great length. But the dominant sensation is alcohol, maybe glycerine, too - very chemical. The wine was even more alcoholic on the second night. Who would want to drink port out of a big Riedel glass?

I was contemplating giving this wine a reasonable score because of the fruit, and then a negative rating as my personal assessment. But I came to the conclusion this wine is actually badly made. The winemaking destroys the wonderful fruit which comes from this outstanding vineyard.

So there you have it. Never trust a cult wine. I will sell my few other Greenock Creek bottles and not try this producer again.

Score: 80/---