2003 Clayfield Grampians Shiraz

This wine was bottled under cork and tipped the scales at 15.4 % alcohol, so I must say it was with some trepidation I opened and tasted the wine.

The two things that could have gone wrong were variability of the cork or alcohol dominating the typically mineral dark fruited nature of Grampians Shiraz. It was fortunate that neither eventuated, with this wine ageing effortlessly and even though big and bold has a core that is premium cool climate Shiraz.

There is a concentration of blackcurrant on the nose that is complemented by some secondary olive and leather characters.

The palate is a seamless extension of the nose, the alcohol provides a fullness in the mouth with grainy cedary oak and subtle spices against plum and blackberry fruits.

The finish is drying, with some alcohol warmth, but ample fruit to compensate.

This is not a wine of finesse, but it's a well made wine with excellent concentration and provides considerable interest.