• About Me – Andrew Graham
  • Scoring
  • Contact
  • Editorial Policy + Disclaimer
  • Beer

  • About Me – Andrew Graham
  • Scoring
  • Contact
  • Editorial Policy + Disclaimer
  • Beer

Larry Cherubino Shiraz 2007

October 18, 2010
Larry Cherubino Shiraz 2007 (Frankland River, WA)
$65, Screwcap, 14.5%
Source: Sample
www.larrycherubino.com.au

I’ve got to confess that I regularly struggle with Great Southern Shiraz. I love Great Southern Riesling, enjoy the Chardonnay and regularly dig the Cabernets, but Shiraz remains a far more mercurial beast for mine, with wines that I find carry a green note which I do not enjoy in Shiraz. I’m alone again on this, but again it’s a personal preference. Interesting that I don’t mind greenness in Cabernet though…

This, like some of Larry’s other Shiraz, is built firm and dry. It smells very serious, with a peppered black fruit nose overlaid with a mulchy pong. It is obviously ripe, but also somewhat tough, firm and a little uncompromising. The palate is surprisingly sweet, if spicy, with sweet musky fruit cast ripe and spicy. It’s a tad too firm and even slightly disjointed to be brutally honest, with warmth through the finish. But something in the back of my head is telling me that this just needs some time. Score reflects this. 17.4/91+

(I use inklpay in lieu of a paywall. A small tip goes a long way to finally paying for hosting!)

Related Posts:

  • Scarborough Shiraz 2011
  • Coriole Redstone Shiraz 2012
  • Lethbridge Dr Nadeson Riesling 2012
  • Galafrey Mt Barker Shiraz 2009 vs Singlefile Frankland River

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • WhatsApp
  • Reddit
  • Print
2007Great SouthernShirazWine
Share

Wine

5 Comments


Anonymous
October 18, 2010 at 10:29 PM
Reply

No, not alone. I almost always absolutely hate any tinge of green in Shiraz and, even if the rest of the wine is very good, a green streak will prevent me from buying any to cellar. It can be a valid part of the Cabernet et al. profile of course. I've not tried this wine though.

MichaelC



Andrew Graham
October 18, 2010 at 10:40 PM
Reply

Do you like Great Southern Shiraz Michael? I'm interested to see what others think about the style in general as obviously I find them not completely to my tastes. Not typically a fan of Margaret River Shiraz either.



Anonymous
October 19, 2010 at 3:25 AM
Reply

Andrew, I've only had one or two or three Great Southern or Frankland River Shirazes (plural?), mainly at restaurants or functions, and they were rather more commercial examples, so I'm not well equipped with a view – suffice it to say that I do not actively seek them out. Don't plan on me being your guinea pig!!

As for MR Shiraz, I'm yet to be convinced. Voyager, for example, can tend to have a tomato bush character that I find a bit challenging, and Cape Mentelle, even from vintages such as 2007 (very ripe), has something about it that i don't quite like – a sort of generosity without resolve, and a thread of lurking something that sits ill at ease with the rest of the wine. Again, I don't seek them out, so am not 100% up-to-date (far from it) on MR Shiraz developments.

Keep up the good work on this site – you swim a bit against the stream, whilst being able to recognize quality when the style doesn't please you at a personal level, and wine journalism or commentary or whatever needs more of that (as we do in many discourses of life).

MichaelC



Andrew Graham
October 19, 2010 at 4:07 AM
Reply

Thanks Michael,

Glad to hear that this little site is appreciated.

Now I'm totally with you on Margaret River Shiraz. It's Cabernet territory in my opinion (and the climate stats back that up too) and too often there is a black olive (and tomato bush) character that I never really enjoy. Lots of others do however and obviously that's perfectly fine.

Great Southern Shiraz just seems that little bit leaner again, with a hammy/green edge that I also occasionally see in Hawkes Bay Shiraz. There are exceptions of course, but I'd still choose a Great Southern Cabernet over a Shiraz any day…



Anonymous
November 1, 2010 at 3:33 AM
Reply

Difficult vintage with plenty of warmth, but seed tannin ripeness not keeping up with the skin tannin ripeness (maybe green seed tannin notes you are seeing??). Frankland almost always seems to me rich/ripe black plums and licorice, Mt Barker spicy spicy medium bodied savoury bliss, Porongorups in a warmer year the intense balance of spice and unbelievable fruit length, Denmark and Albany can have their day too…..
Cheers

AndrewM



Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Subscribe by email

    Enter your email address:

  • About me – Andrew Graham


    At 18 I started working in a small suburban bottleshop, largely to buy cheap beer. It was my first year of university, doing a degree that I didn't really like, and a liquor shop seemed like fun. Needless to say I discovered wine, my uni degree morphed into something completely different and wine/beer took over my life.

    Almost twenty years later and I currently spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer.

    While wearing my writer cap I write features for the likes of National Liquor News, Gourmet Traveller WINE and the RAS plus I'm a Lifestyle FOOD channel wine expert. Read more about me here or get in touch to book your next wine event with me here.

  • Recent Comments

    • Nina Javez on The drinking thread: 30 smashable Australian wines (for $30 or less) I’d drink on a hot January night
    • Andrew Graham on Almost Club January 2019 edition: A bumper new year of almostness inc. a $500 red
    • Colin Rose on Almost Club January 2019 edition: A bumper new year of almostness inc. a $500 red
    • Andrew Graham on Almost Club January 2019 edition: A bumper new year of almostness inc. a $500 red
    • Simon Colwell on Almost Club January 2019 edition: A bumper new year of almostness inc. a $500 red
  • Categories

    • Beer
    • Wine
  • Archives

  • Tags

    2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Adelaide Hills Barossa Beer Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot + Blends Canberra Chardonnay Clare Valley Coonawarra Eden Valley Great Southern Grenache Shiraz + Blends Hunter Margaret River Marlborough McLaren Vale Mega Tasting Mornington Peninsula Pinot Gris Pinot Noir Pyrenees Riesling Rosé Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Shiraz Sparkling Tasmania Top Wine Value pick Wine Wine Yarra Valley



© Copyright Andrew Graham 2018

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.