TN: Capercaillie 2000 Shiraz

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
I'm completely disoriented: In the full expectation of an oaky, alcoholic, gritty, purple, worn-out disaster, I pulled the cork tonight on a premium cuvee shiraz that I brought back from the Hunter Valley, Capercaillie 2000 Shiraz "The Ghillie".

Instead, I am pleasantly surprised, nay, stunned at what is in my glass. The flavor profile is very boysenberry, kinda zinnish, with a bit of VA to keep it interesting. It is quite purple but it's also very lightweight, not thick or gritty. At 13.7% alcohol, I am not overwhelmed with fumes. It's thrown a lot of sediment and there are tartaric crystals on the cork. The acidity is still holding together. It's a pleasure to drink.

The website says that "The Ghillie" is a barrel selection in only the best years. Is it real wine?

edited to make title nicey-nice: was "Disordered and Disoriented"
 
Yes. It's real wine (and I'd argue there's plenty more in Australia, once you get past the ink coloured oak-and-alcohol laden monsters from Barossa and McLaren Vale).

Good Hunter Shiraz is a wonderful drink, IMO. Some of the best examples (Mt. Pleasant Old Paddock and Brokenwood Graveyard) are truly stunning wines - it's a shame those wines don't make it out to the US much as I'd much rather drink those than a lot of the Barossa/McLaren Vale ones that are flooding the market.

[Oh well, at least there's Victoria and Eden Valley...]
 
Agreed. I've still got a couple more bottles of the 05 Brokenwood Sem at home, which I love - and I'm hearing great things about the 07.
 
The other Hunter wine that I brought home -- and liked -- was Jackson's Hill Cabernet Franc. They are a nice little family-run property and I got to try the wines there. Capercaillie is a much bigger operation and I bought blind.
 
I used to go visit the winery when I lived in Sydney, and brought some Graveyard back with me when I returned to the States. Their lower-level Cab/Merlot was not bad, either.
 
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