Favorite Aussie Shiraz - Flinders Run Shiraz 2005 Aging Gracefully
I raved about this wine when I discovered it several years ago and have featured it numerous times since in this blog. When I discovered this wine downstate in a local wineshop, I picked some up and tried it, then found and purchased more on-line. Then I convinced local mega-merchant Binny's to obtain some and we cleaned them out too.
This remains one of our go-to favorites for tasty, hearty sipping as we ration and savor the remaining bottles of our stash with slightly less than a case left. With BBQ ribs dinner, we opened this old favorite, Flinders Run Southern Flinders Ranges Shiraz 2005.
I featured this wine, the producer and estate in an earlier blogpost. I wrote about discovering this wine when it came on the scene with these two vintage releases and disappeared, not to be seen again. Producer Emanuel Skorpos saw my post and posted a reply in that blogpost. He wrote. "....we are still here in the Southern Flinders Ranges, still making great wines. Unfortunately our USA importer wasn't as honorable as he made himself out to be, none the less we are still focused on developing big opulant parcels of wines with a focus on producing wines that are both representative of the varietal but importantly very much value packed. Stay tuned we will be back in the USA with bigger and better wines, a replanting has seen us source far more superior clonal varieties of both Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, our research and initial trials has blown us away so much that we have planted 12 acres of new Cabernet and 20 acres of sgiraz this year that will be focused on delivering wines of distinction, again single estate grown wines big bold and fruit driven. Looking forward to getting back to the USA, In due course you will see a newly revamped website which will inform you of our new plantings and one which i am sure will draw a heap of attention once we publicly announce it. Stay tuned for the NEXT GENERATION of FLINDERS RUN Wines."
As of this posting, there is no update or notice of a re-emergence so we'll continue to ration our supply and be patient and vigilant for their return to distribution in Chicagoland, or in the on-line wine community.
Back on release of this label, according to the the Flinders Run website (http://www.flindersrun.com.au/), "We knew from the first trials of the 2001 and subsequent 2003 vintages that the Flinders Run wines were going to be something special, but nothing prepared us for the overwhelming success, we would experience with the release of the 2005 Vintage. Subsequent vintages have been crafted in the same careful manner exhibiting a consistency in flavour and style and most importantly capturing the elegance of region climate and above all varietal character."
The 2005 vintage got a raving 95 point review from legendary wine critic Robert Parker. He wrote,"Purple/black in color, the wine exhibits a big, brooding bouquet of pain grille, pepper, Asian spices, blueberry, blackberry, and licorice. This leads to a full-bodied (15.2% alcohol), super-rich, plush wine with layers of spicy black fruit flavors, excellent balance, and a long, pure finish. For a wine of this size, it is remarkably light on its feet. Give it 2-3 years to more fully evolve and drink it through 2020. This is quite a debut for Flinders Run!"
When I first discovered this label in a downstate wine shop, I don't
recall having seen or knowing about their rating or rave reviews. When I
saw Robert Parker's review and 95 point rating, I knew he shared our
love of big bold Aussie Shiraz's,
even if we did think his enthusiasm was at times 'over the top' and even
exceeded ours.
Its hard to believe its been six years since I posted that earlier blogpost when I wrote, "Happily, we still hold and continue to enjoy this big bold fruit filled Shiraz. Holding more than several bottles into their ninth year, one rightfully wonders how is it aging and how long will it last?"
Parker's projected drinking window extending through 2020. Here we are in the new year which and his review still holds in this label's fifteenth year, "Purple/black in color, the wine exhibits a big, brooding bouquet of pain grille, pepper, Asian spices, blueberry, blackberry, and licorice. This leads to a full-bodied (15.2% alcohol), super-rich, plush wine with layers of spicy black fruit flavors, excellent balance, and a long, pure finish. For a wine of this size, it is remarkably light on its feet."
This retains all the nuances and character it exhibited in its youth - nicely balanced, polished, and flavorful. Big, bold, dense, complex layers of blue and black berry fruits, accented by licorice, hints of black pepper, and tones of black tea and what Parker refers to as 'pain grillé' which is the French word for 'toast'.
RM 93 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=421985
http://www.flindersrun.com.au/
http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/10/favorite-aussie-shiraz-flinders-2005.html
I raved about this wine when I discovered it several years ago and have featured it numerous times since in this blog. When I discovered this wine downstate in a local wineshop, I picked some up and tried it, then found and purchased more on-line. Then I convinced local mega-merchant Binny's to obtain some and we cleaned them out too.
This remains one of our go-to favorites for tasty, hearty sipping as we ration and savor the remaining bottles of our stash with slightly less than a case left. With BBQ ribs dinner, we opened this old favorite, Flinders Run Southern Flinders Ranges Shiraz 2005.
I featured this wine, the producer and estate in an earlier blogpost. I wrote about discovering this wine when it came on the scene with these two vintage releases and disappeared, not to be seen again. Producer Emanuel Skorpos saw my post and posted a reply in that blogpost. He wrote. "....we are still here in the Southern Flinders Ranges, still making great wines. Unfortunately our USA importer wasn't as honorable as he made himself out to be, none the less we are still focused on developing big opulant parcels of wines with a focus on producing wines that are both representative of the varietal but importantly very much value packed. Stay tuned we will be back in the USA with bigger and better wines, a replanting has seen us source far more superior clonal varieties of both Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, our research and initial trials has blown us away so much that we have planted 12 acres of new Cabernet and 20 acres of sgiraz this year that will be focused on delivering wines of distinction, again single estate grown wines big bold and fruit driven. Looking forward to getting back to the USA, In due course you will see a newly revamped website which will inform you of our new plantings and one which i am sure will draw a heap of attention once we publicly announce it. Stay tuned for the NEXT GENERATION of FLINDERS RUN Wines."
As of this posting, there is no update or notice of a re-emergence so we'll continue to ration our supply and be patient and vigilant for their return to distribution in Chicagoland, or in the on-line wine community.
Back on release of this label, according to the the Flinders Run website (http://www.flindersrun.com.au/), "We knew from the first trials of the 2001 and subsequent 2003 vintages that the Flinders Run wines were going to be something special, but nothing prepared us for the overwhelming success, we would experience with the release of the 2005 Vintage. Subsequent vintages have been crafted in the same careful manner exhibiting a consistency in flavour and style and most importantly capturing the elegance of region climate and above all varietal character."
The 2005 vintage got a raving 95 point review from legendary wine critic Robert Parker. He wrote,"Purple/black in color, the wine exhibits a big, brooding bouquet of pain grille, pepper, Asian spices, blueberry, blackberry, and licorice. This leads to a full-bodied (15.2% alcohol), super-rich, plush wine with layers of spicy black fruit flavors, excellent balance, and a long, pure finish. For a wine of this size, it is remarkably light on its feet. Give it 2-3 years to more fully evolve and drink it through 2020. This is quite a debut for Flinders Run!"
When I first discovered this label in a downstate wine shop, I don't
recall having seen or knowing about their rating or rave reviews. When I
saw Robert Parker's review and 95 point rating, I knew he shared our
love of big bold Aussie Shiraz's,
even if we did think his enthusiasm was at times 'over the top' and even
exceeded ours.Its hard to believe its been six years since I posted that earlier blogpost when I wrote, "Happily, we still hold and continue to enjoy this big bold fruit filled Shiraz. Holding more than several bottles into their ninth year, one rightfully wonders how is it aging and how long will it last?"
Parker's projected drinking window extending through 2020. Here we are in the new year which and his review still holds in this label's fifteenth year, "Purple/black in color, the wine exhibits a big, brooding bouquet of pain grille, pepper, Asian spices, blueberry, blackberry, and licorice. This leads to a full-bodied (15.2% alcohol), super-rich, plush wine with layers of spicy black fruit flavors, excellent balance, and a long, pure finish. For a wine of this size, it is remarkably light on its feet."
This retains all the nuances and character it exhibited in its youth - nicely balanced, polished, and flavorful. Big, bold, dense, complex layers of blue and black berry fruits, accented by licorice, hints of black pepper, and tones of black tea and what Parker refers to as 'pain grillé' which is the French word for 'toast'.
RM 93 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=421985
http://www.flindersrun.com.au/
http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/10/favorite-aussie-shiraz-flinders-2005.html