I have taken advantage of the cooler conditions and opened a bottle of Shiraz which was hiding in my cellar. This was a magnum of 2004 Dutschke St. Jakobi Vineyard Shiraz from the Barossa Valley.
My expectations were not too high, given this is a 14 year old full-bodied Australian Shiraz; but then there is always a bit of magic drinking from magnum, and the St. Jakobi vineyard is an excellent vineyard of dark clay soil in Lyndoch, right next to where most of Grant Burge's Meshach fruit comes from.
It turned out to be a positive surprise. The plum and blackberry fruit is blended with spice and dark chocolate and delivers a complex, ripe, big mouthfeel. The fruit takes the 15% alcohol well. This is a balanced wine, scoring high on all dimensions. It is not everybody's cup of tea, but a good example of the "big Barossa". The wine is drinking well now.
Score: 94/+
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