Philip White 91++ Points!
Philip White 91++ Points!
"Blueberries smell meaty when you closely study their
miasma. The great Brian Barry taught me decades ago that
if you're sufficiently clever and/or lucky to get that smell in
red grapes, and you manage to entrap it right through
ferment into bottle, you're off to a brilliant start. Freshly
opened, this is very much blueberry. There's also plenty of
that nose-tickling quarry dust the ancient underlying rocks
of Alices seem to impart. But back to meat, and flesh. This
bouquet also insinuates a contrasting textural sensation,
like face cream. Think a very posh Guerlain moisturising
cream, with the caress of vegetable glycerol. But as it soaks
up the air, the meaty bit takes over, and you get a rise of
pale charcuterie produce, like kassler fat, capocollo, and
mortadella. Maybe even fritz, which would befit the
Barossa.
The oak is also quite evident, its cedary, smoky reek taking
me straight to Linke's Butcher Shop.
Have a schlack, and before the flavours really hit, the wine
gives that sinuous sensation which distinguishes the best of
Clare Valley's reds: it's more like the pickling juice in a jar
of kalamata olives than anything like primary fruits or
berries. I can even imagine the odd olive leaf in there as a
garnish.
As the dusty tannins and the oak take over the finish, the
wine seems to lose its puppy fat to lemony acids and sap,
and all that pale chubby stuff you first smelled gradually
wanes, leaving you reaching for any of the abovementioned
meats.
All of which adds up to a typical Alices, come to think of
it.
I'm amused that when Michael planted this vineyard, he
intended it to provide a higher-yielding, earlier-drinking
product than his other niggardly vineyards. But look at
this: a tricky juvenile puzzle that really needs five years to
even begin revealing its long-term possibilities."
Phillip White, Sep 2014
Country:
Australia
Region:
SA- Barossa Valley
Variety:
Wine Red - Shiraz
Size:
750mL
