Shoofly Shiraz – Sweet and Spicy

100% Shiraz from McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek and Clare Valley, South Australia.

SRP of $14 and available widely for around $9. Purchased.

From the bottle:

“What’s with life these days? So many distractions…turn on the TV, see all those billboards, the internet’s gone crazy, the man’s hollering on the street, the flies are buzzing. What’s a person to do? Give ’em all the Aussie salute! A flick of the wrist across your dial and send those worries scurrying (not to mention the flies)! It also helps to pour yourself a glass of this succulent, deep fruited Shiraz, which is made from seriously good, old vine fruit grown in premium districts around Adelaide. Previous vintages have received terrific praise from most wine critics — the 2007 vintage was even awarded a place in the Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2009!

14.5% Alcohol”

We’re huge fans of Syrah/Shiraz here at The Reverse Wine Snob so when I saw that this one was made by Ben Riggs, the same winemaker as the uniquely delicious Zonte’s Footstep wines, I just knew I had to give it a try. Mr. Riggs is the winemaker behind several Reverse Wine Snob favorites:

• 2010 Zonte’s Footstep Doctoress di Lago – Not Your Mother’s Pinot Grigio.
• 2010 Zonte’s Footstep Scarlet Ladybird Rosé – “Bloody Good Drink!”
• Zonte’s Footstep Avalon Tree Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 – Rich, Fruity and Fantastic.

Let’s find out if we like today’s wine as much as we did these!

The 2010 Shoofly Shiraz begins with dense earthy aromas of blackberry, mulberry, licorice, spice, black pepper and a little vanilla. Very nice. Tasting the wine reveals a ton of delicious juicy fruit plus a good layer of black pepper and spice that lasts all the way to the finish. Speaking of the finish, I love that signature Shiraz spice and this wine definitely has it. You’ll also find sweet blackberry and a good dose of toasty oak (I’d let this one decant a bit before drinking it). It held up just fine on day 2. Excellent!

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.