Another Good Value Shiraz

I seem to be going through a bit if a Shiraz/Syrah phase at the moment......not that I mind at all! Tonight, I am opening another good value Shiraz. It's very different to the one I had last night, which supports the notion of 'terrior' and helps give this wine a sense of place.

Kangarilla Road, Shiraz, 2005, McLaren Vale, Australia.

This is a lovely dark inky wine. The nose is greeted with aromas of really dark fruits and violets. The wine seems a bit sultry and brooding. There is plenty of spice on the nose accompanied by some vanilla oakiness. There is also a mild hint of menthol/eucalyptus. The palate continues with the dark fruit and spice theme. The fresh peppery spice and the dark fruit are well balanced and integrate well together. The tannins are nice and smooth and the wine has a silk texture to it. There is a nice savoury meatiness to this wine which helps give it some presence. This is a really nice wine; typically 'Aussie Shiraz' in it's style (in a good way!). This would be a great wine with a summer BBQ (bit late now I know!). The dark fruit and spice in the wine would stand up quite well to the smokiness of a BBQ. In fact, it went really well with the grilled lamb we had for dinner tonight. 4/5 (14.5% abv) £10.99 Majestic Wine.