Aged in used French oak casks for 18 months prior to being bottled unfiltered, the 2001 Descendant is a 1,000 case blend of 92% Shiraz and 8% Viognier cropped at approximately 1.5 tons of fruit per acre. This spectacular Australian red offers an aromatic smorgasbord of honeysuckle intermixed with blackberry and creme de cassis liqueurs, licorice, coffee, and spice. There is fabulous fruit purity, tremendous intensity, and great balance with flavor, power, and elegance all combined into a riveting example of Barossa Valley wine. It should drink well for 10-12 years. Importer: Deborah Gray, The Australian Wine Connection, Carlsbad, CA; tel. (760) 438-5714

Rich, ripe and distinctive, not at all heavy but gloriously expressive, playing out its generous blackberry, cherry and plum fruit on a deftly balanced frame, all of it echoing along with hints of sweet spice and cream on the long finish. Shiraz, with 8 percent Viognier. Drink now through 2015. 800 cases made, 250 cases imported.??–HS??Region: Australia / Barossa / Barossa Valley Select to Add

A junior Run Rig, in more ways than one: The Descendant’s grapes come from a single vineyard made from Run Rig cuttings. The wine is aged in two-year-old Run Rig barrels, and, like its big brother, contains a small percentage of Viognier. The Viognier lends floral aromas to the nose; it’s big and syrupy in the mouth at first, but smooth, silky tannins step in thereafter. Fruit is a little stewy, but that’s the vintage conditions talking. 800 cases produced. ——D.T.(2/1/2004)—— 90