Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz 2007 (Mclaren vale, SA)
$40, Screwcap, 15.5%
Winery Website
In truth, this bottle is probably wasted on me – I’m just very unlikely to appreciate it. The alcohol, the extreme youth, the caricature of a style, the stupendous ripeness, it all cumulatively goes against everything that I enjoy in wine. Still, I tried my utmost to be objective, but it was hard not to rant….
Black in colour. It is actually black. The edges are dark red, but otherwise its purpley black.
Initially it smelled quite lush – rich oak & really deep dark fruit. But after a couple of hours in the glass it fell apart. Now (opened for 4 hours) it smells like dead fruit. Dead, strained, picked way too late & already fading. Burnt fruitcake, prunes, burnt things. With a swirl out comes some blackberries & raspberry jam. No freshness though. To be honest, I don’t even want to drink it.
The palate is thankfully not as soul destroying as the nose. Its undoubtedly overripe, but at least it tastes firm, jammy & wine-ish, with overcooked fig paste & black fruits on the palate. The finish is confected, harsh & the tannins taste not quite right, but at least its recognisable as wine. Surprisingly, the alcohol doesnt destroy the finish, the aftertaste just tasting prunish and wrong.
In the end, I was going to just label this as an abomination that should never have been released and been done with it. But that’s ignoring the nuances underneath. Ultimately, its just a very ripe Shiraz from a challenging year, built in a style that I just don’t like. Subjectively I hate the stuff, objectively its just an average wine. Either way its not a wine I could ever recommend. 13.8
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