There are legendary wines in Australia, like Penfolds Grange or Hill of Grace; there are cult wines like Greenock Creek or Cloudburst, and then there is one legendary cult wine. This is Wendouree - a cult wine for over 50 years.
Christmas was cool in Sydney, so it was not inappropriate to open a mature bottle of Shiraz. I found a 2005 Wendouree Shiraz in my cellar. This seemed perfect. Historically, I have never warmed to Wendouree all that much. I felt it was all about power and extraction at the expense of elegance. But winemaking has changed, even at this most traditional winery.
The bouquet tells you immediately this is a serious wine. Deep fruited aromas of plum and blackberry leave the glass. On the palate, the same flavours are present, plus mint, a typical Clare Valley component. I am not a big fan of mint, but in this case it was not overwhelming, just enough to give the wine some lift.
This wine is not as powerful as I had anticipated, medium- to full-bodied. And it is very drinkable, elegant with softened dry and dusty tannins. The flavours linger on.
Score : 94/++
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