Hungerford Hill Epic Shiraz 2007 (Hunter Valley, NSW)
14.5%, Screwcap, $55
Source: Sample
www.hungerfordhill.com.au

In less-than-classic wine writer form I drank this Shiraz out of a thermos at the ugly Sydney Swans – Fremantle Dockers AFL game last Saturday.

Whilst such conditions probably aren’t the best for pickimg up details I can confirm that, even when consumed out of a plastic cup, this Shiraz still went down very nicely, which I’d call the ultimate win. Certainly a shitload tastier than the bad mid-strength football beer too…

Further, I left a glass in the bottle at home and tasted it in a more serious setup the next day. Unlike the Swans, it was still finishing strongly…

Oh and a little context – this was the 2012 NSW Wine of the Year, though the label itself appears to have been discontinued.

A deep, inky purple coloured red it is too, in true 07 Hunter Shiraz fashion. There is a warm year intensity to the fruit, which is then matched with sweet, high quality oak, resulting in an immediately very rich and oaky nose. It’s not obnoxious though, just cosseting and generous. The palate is a flood of flavour, with  milk chocolate and a lovely, almost Grampians-esque plum reduction juiciness, finishing off with fine grained, prominent, oak sweetened tannins.

Still looking young and vibrant, bounding with ripe, luxuriously dense fruit, I find this sort of bold, but not fat (or necessarily alcoholic) style of modern Hunter Shiraz to be quite satisfying. I really enjoyed it. It would perhaps be even more impressive if the oak was less dominant, but it’s not enough to derail things.

Yum.

Drink: 2013-2023
Score: 18.2/20 93/100
Would I buy it? Yes, I think I would