Rhone Ranger fans and lovers of Rhone Valley wines will be immensely impressed with what Tim Adams has accomplished with his new releases. The limited production Shiraz Aberfeldy (under 100 cases produced) emerges from an ancient, head-pruned vineyard planted in 1904. The wine is aged for 22 months in 100% new American oak casks before bottling. It is a wine of enormous richness, power, glycerin, and impact. The 1994 Shiraz Aberfeldy received a slightly higher score than the 1995, only because it is a year older, and has developed some attractive roasted aromas, along with licorice, truffle, and cassis scents. It is an amazingly rich, thick, viscously-textured wine that rolls over the palate, offering up layers of jammy blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. This full-bodied, sumptuously-textured wine possesses a finish that lasts for 30+ seconds. It should drink well for 15 years. Sadly, only 50 cases of this wine made it to America's shores, but that is slightly over half of the winery's total production!
A Ted Schrauth Selection, Old Vines Australia, imported by Epic Wines, Santa Cruz, CA; tel. (408) 689-9080, and C. Daniele, New York, NY; tel. (212) 534-3421