Recommendation: Not recommended.
Winery/Producer: Castleton Vineyards; Angaston Australia
Grape Variety: 98% Shiraz and 2% Viognier
Geographic Region, Appellation:Barossa, South Australia.
Vintage: 2010
Price: $19.99
Purchased From: Total Wine; Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Pared With: Pasta with olive oil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, ham and Italian seasoning, salad with Greek dressing.
Tasting:
He said: Opened one hour before tasting. Very dark purple and a little bit opaque. Sweet ripe blackberry and cherry aromas with just the slightest hint of smoke. Very intense dark fruit (almost overwhelming) taste that follows right through a medium-long tart, dry full body finish. Sounds great; but I didn’t thinks so. For me this was a robust wine that simply was to juicy (overly fruity) and had to much single layer flavor. It was “OK” drinking with the dinner but really disappointing when sipping alone. For the $19.99 price I would never buy it again and can’t recommend it.
Just a side note, this bottle had a strange artificial cork that was wet with red wine almost to the top, I’m glad I didn’t hold this wine any longer!!!
She said: The first sniff was full of flavor but it did not last as dinner progressed. The taste was loaded with ripe black cherry but also had an off flavor that reminded me of cheap box wine and that did not go away with the tasting. On the other hand there were many positives like the full body, tannins, and acidity that created a robust wine. The finish held onto the flavors and the tannins until the end. It was OK with the dinner but I can not recommend it at $20 because there are many bottles of Shiraz available in that price range that are better.
Comments: I bought this wine because Wine Spectator rated it a 90. For us this was clearly not a 90 Syrah/Shiraz; especially when compared to Shotfire Barossa Shiraz 2010 with the same Wine Spectator rating and price.
Alcohol: 14%
Bar code: 784585013913