Arabella Shiraz – An Easy Keeper

Find all of our NakedWines.com recommendations here!

Shiraz from Western Cape, South Africa.

SRP of $27 and available to NakedWines.com Angels for as low as $10. Sample submitted for review.

From the bottle:

“Arabella takes its name from the beautiful Arabian horses which grace its verdant pastures and are a great love of the De Wet family. Winemaking and viticulture are a family passion that dates back to 1697 when the first De Wet settler was appointed cellarmaster of the Dutch East India company.

TASTING NOTES: Deep burgundy red in color with inviting aromas of vanilla and mocha. The palate rewards with lingering flavors of liquorice and ripe black cherries, supported by soft spicy tannins.

14.5% Alcohol”

Today we’re checking out our fourth wine from NakedWines.com and so far we’ve been impressed.

The first wine we featured was the Highly Recommended Jim Olsen Fair Angel 2012, an intriguing and delicious blend of Zinfandel and Carignane from Lodi plus Syrah from the Sierra Foothills. That post also has more info on the NakedWines.com business model and an explanation of Naked Wines “Angels”.

After that we featured the Bulk Buy rated 2012 Montaria Vinho Tinto, a highly drinkable blend of Alicante Bouschet, Trincadeira and Aragonez from Portugal.

Following that we checked out another wine from Lodi, but not a Zinfandel as you might expect:Jacqueline Bahue Cabernet Franc 2012 – Another Reason To Get Naked .

Today we travel to the Western Cape of South Africa to taste one of our favorite varieties, Shiraz (Syrah).

The 2013 Arabella Shiraz begins with enticing notes of black cherry, plum, black raspberry, spice and a little anise and licorice. Tasting reveals lots of that signature Shiraz spice and black pepper along with more plum, black cherry and licorice. It’s a bit oaky at first but be sure to give it lots of air and that dissipates pretty quickly. The oaky, spicy black pepper notes continue all the way through the medium-long, dry finish. An excellent example of Shiraz at a fabulous price!

If you’d like to try NakedWines.com for yourself we have a special deal for readers of The Reverse Wine Snob that will get you $100 off a purchase of $160:

Check out all of our NakedWines.com recommendations here.