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Best from the West
Cabernet & Chardonnay immediately come to mind when Margaret river is the topic of wine conversation, but the wines turning heads these past few months emanate from the Shirazosphere!
Voyager Estate’s 2007 Shiraz had all the media outlets abuzz in December when Penguin wine writer Nick Stock rated it higher than 2004 Grange (one of the most heralded Granges ever mind you!)
The press headlines were dazzling, ‘Voyager Shiraz ($32 & 96pts) better than Grange ($550 & 95pts)’, and by the end of the day many retailers across the country had sold out.
For the record renowned critic Jeremy Oliver wasn’t so enthused, rating the 2007 Voyager a lowly 89/100 respectively, preferring the 2006 which we scored an impressive 95pts.
Halliday on the other hand rates both vintages 93/100. So, what to do... at such a cheap price one option would be to buy a little of both vintage and see how they perform alongside each other in the years to come.
A fascinating experiment not only vintage wise, but it also offers the opportunity to see how your preferences align with the thoughts of 3 premier wine critics in the country.
The other Margaret River gem in the news of late has been the 2007 Cape Mentelle Shiraz. Last year the wine scooped the pool at the Perth Wine Show, winning trophies for Best Shiraz, Best WA Wine & Best Dry Red Table Wine.
This past week the Shiraz again performed at the top of its class, collecting a gold medal at the Royal Sydney Wine Show. There’s no disagreement amongst the big names here, with Halliday consigning 96pts and Oliver & Stock 94.
Thankfully for us consumers Shiraz from the west is still priced as a poor cousin to Cabernet... Let’s hope that continues well into the future!
Incidentally if you missed out on the 2004 Grange last year and felt thoroughly relieved after seeing the Penguin score above, then don’t pick up a Halliday or Oliver book anytime soon.
Both critics gave the wine 98pts, rating it the best Grange they have ever tasted, while the Wine Advocate (publication of US guru Robert Parker) scored the wine a near-perfect 99/100, second only to the 1976 vintage.
We have two six-packs of this icon wine currently available for those chasing this definitive Aussie Shiraz at its finest.
Voyager Estate’s 2007 Shiraz had all the media outlets abuzz in December when Penguin wine writer Nick Stock rated it higher than 2004 Grange (one of the most heralded Granges ever mind you!)
The press headlines were dazzling, ‘Voyager Shiraz ($32 & 96pts) better than Grange ($550 & 95pts)’, and by the end of the day many retailers across the country had sold out.
For the record renowned critic Jeremy Oliver wasn’t so enthused, rating the 2007 Voyager a lowly 89/100 respectively, preferring the 2006 which we scored an impressive 95pts.
Halliday on the other hand rates both vintages 93/100. So, what to do... at such a cheap price one option would be to buy a little of both vintage and see how they perform alongside each other in the years to come.
A fascinating experiment not only vintage wise, but it also offers the opportunity to see how your preferences align with the thoughts of 3 premier wine critics in the country.
The other Margaret River gem in the news of late has been the 2007 Cape Mentelle Shiraz. Last year the wine scooped the pool at the Perth Wine Show, winning trophies for Best Shiraz, Best WA Wine & Best Dry Red Table Wine.
This past week the Shiraz again performed at the top of its class, collecting a gold medal at the Royal Sydney Wine Show. There’s no disagreement amongst the big names here, with Halliday consigning 96pts and Oliver & Stock 94.
Thankfully for us consumers Shiraz from the west is still priced as a poor cousin to Cabernet... Let’s hope that continues well into the future!
Incidentally if you missed out on the 2004 Grange last year and felt thoroughly relieved after seeing the Penguin score above, then don’t pick up a Halliday or Oliver book anytime soon.
Both critics gave the wine 98pts, rating it the best Grange they have ever tasted, while the Wine Advocate (publication of US guru Robert Parker) scored the wine a near-perfect 99/100, second only to the 1976 vintage.
We have two six-packs of this icon wine currently available for those chasing this definitive Aussie Shiraz at its finest.