There are two things I cannot have enough of in my life, Hunter Valley and McLaren Vale Shiraz. This week I tried a real cracker from the latter, the Lazy Ballerina Shiraz 2005.
Vibrant aromas of blackberry, plum and an underlying dustyness were virtually leaping around immediately after opening, I am surprised they didn’t force the cork clean out of the bottle! The palate lives up to the expectation set by the nose, starting with a burst of ripe dark fruits and berries which are chased down the line by some spices and subtle oak. Intense, balanced and long, there is also plenty of mouthfilling tannin to support the great fruit.
The Lazy Ballerina oozes quality right now and if conventional wisdom is to be believed, once the tannins settle down in a few years this will be an outstanding wine, not just a great wine. You may struggle to find this Shiraz in any bricks and mortar stores, however both Auswine and Winestar have it for sale online, buy some.
Score: 92/100
Price: $20
Closure: Procork
Alcohol: 15%
Other Opinions: Winorama
Would I buy this wine again?
In a flash, excellent value for money.
As summer rapidly approaches, so does the impending tidal wave of Riesling and Semillon which call out for the warmer weather. A squeeky clean new release from Leo Buring is first up, the 2006 Eden Valley Riesling.
Its been a long time between drinks and wine reviews for me, over a month has passed. What better way to get back into the swing of things than with a bottle of the red wine to be served at our wedding next year, the recently released Mount Pleasant Philip Shiraz 2003.