On a recent short holiday I popped into a local wine shop and found only three bottles of particular interest. All were Australian and all got drunk within the week, so it seemed natural to lump them all together in to one note!
Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2006
Riot of red fruit, running together into one thick flavour with cherry, blackcurrant and prune rising to the surface for closer inspection. Undertones of coffee and chocolate. Rich and full in the mouth, almost port-like. Perhaps surprisingly lacks much of the smoke & spice normally associated with the grape.
Peter Lehmann 1885 Shiraz 2006
From the label and the name you could probably be forgiven for mistaking this for a bottle of Scotch. Big, punchy flavours of smoke, liqourice, blackcurrants and soft, peppery spice balanced nicely with just enough creamy vanilla to quench the fire. There's a slight acidic edge though and the wine lacks a little finesse.
Penfolds Rawsons Retreat 2008 Semillon Chardonnay
This took me totally by surprise: I was expecting the typical soft apple, melon and outrageously thick oak typical of Australian Chardonnay and got a hit of tangibly sweet pineapple cut through with zesty lime and refreshing minerals. If you go digging there's some melon and floral notes buried in the mix but this tasted more like a Riesling to me. Very unusual.