What a surprise this wine delivered.
It was dug out of my cellar (Steve) and when the foil came off the cork, we saw a large stain. (see picture)
Our hearts sank, expecting this nearly 10 year old sparkling shiraz to have lost its sparkle.
However, to our surprise, removing the cork resulted in a wonderfully reassuring pop and the wine was not tainted by cork or anything else.
In short, it was a creamy, fine sparking shiraz that had serving of black fruits with subtle jammy tones.
More fruit became evident throughout the hour.
This was delightful to drink and well worth the effort of extra time in quality oak and bottle fermentation.
I remembered buying this wine at the winery in Padthaway, in the southeast of South Australia. We had a very long chat in the searing heat but I am so glad we did. What a delightful fine, and to have it stand the test of time was an extra bonus.