Blackjack Shiraz, Yeringberg Viognier + Granbazan Albarino

Blackjack Shiraz, Yeringberg Viognier + Granbazan Albarino
Odds and ends drank last week.

Blackjack Shiraz 2005
Super ripe, yet i didn’t find this to be over the top (or in my opinion at least). Mint, prunes, lots of ripe fruit and caramel, chocolatey oak. Rich, warm and heady, stewed but not hot, just hearty. Unapologetically warm, oaky Bendigo red in the typical mould. 17.5/91

Yeringberg Viognier 2008
First release of a straight Yeringberg Viognier and, to my taste, this is overripe. Neutral, peachy nose doesn’t give away much, as the story here is all about texture and mouthfeel. The problem is that the palate is bombed with alcohol, sitting glycerol rich and oily, with not enough varietal punch to carry it off. Textural but lacking. 16/86

Granbazan Albarino 2008
I’m still waiting for my Albarino revelation. Heady, spicy and musky perfumed nose. Textural and rounded palate has gritty fruit tannins and a warm finish but ultimately finishes flabby and broad. Oxidised pretty quickly in the glass too. Pleasant but ultimately unremarkable. 16.2/87