Okay, hang onto your taste buds and prepare to be assaulted! This Shiraz from down undah, is an intense, deep dark black cherry colored wine with an ultra fruity, ripe grape bouquet and a nose that is full of rich dark fruit, cola and toast.
In the mouth this lovely varietal is almost thick it is so rich but it needs to warm up a bit (my ambient cellar is 48 degrees currently) and it needs to breath a bit. Don't go away!!!
After a half hour or so this wine is just lovely and BIG and full bodied in every way. There is a bitter base to it that is actually lovely giving it an unsweetened backer's chocolate quality as a foundation for the ripe fruit that sits on top. After an hour or so there is another layer of light chocolate and a hint of licorice.
It gets better--I was in Sam's Club looking at their wines and I saw this one and though I couldn't remember why the name popped out to me it did and so I bought it thinking I may have seen it as a Wine Spectator "best buy." I paid $12 for it at Sam's and checked it on line when I got home. It has a reference price of $18 in the Wine Spectator and was indeed one of their "Best Buys" with a 91 point rating.
I opened it, it drank way too easily and was gone, before we knew it. I went back today and bought a couple more. I may not be done yet! Find it and buy it and enjoy it; this is a bargain! Raise a glass to this new world classic.
Drinking wine is sin.
ReplyDeletehow would you compare this with the penfolds?
ReplyDeleteI agree drinking wine is sin. that's why I guzzle it! :)
ReplyDeleteComparing Water Wheel to the Penfolds reviewed right before it shows two different levels of quality. The Water Wheel is just an all around bigger wine with more elegance (no finesse though)and big wine pleasure.
ReplyDeleteThe Penfolds, as I noted in my review is good but so "typical." The Water Wheel has some distinction. If points help you put it in perspective, I would give the Water Wheel a 91 even as the W/S did. The Penfolds, an 85/86.