Friday, July 11, 2008

2000 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz

Finally a wine to review from the Hunter Valley. The Hunter seems to care more about tourists than the quality of its wine (and I accept this does not need to go together), but there are a few serious wines there. The Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz is perhaps its best known quality wine today. Ironically, it does not taste like a typical Hunter shiraz. A typical Hunter shiraz is medium-bodied and tastes quite soft, with a velvety after taste.

This wine is very concentrated, with redcurrant fruit, fairly strong oak, but a balanced structure. Its tannins are masculine and still quite strong after 8 years. The wine holds with a long finish. 2000 was generally a poor year for Australian wine, and many people who have bought wine to open for their children's 21st will be disappointed, but the Brokenwood clearly had a good year and this one might go the distance.

No comments: