Premier Cru - Australian Wine RSS/RDF Feed http://www.premiercru.net/premier/jsp/xml/premiercruaustralia.php 88 points Parker: "Made by well-known winemakers Sarah and Sparky Marquis, this elegant, deep ruby-colored 1999 (a blend of 65% Shiraz and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon) exhibits a claret-like delicacy, medium body, and a stylish, supple-textured finish. Drink it over the next 6-7 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=19243 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=35936 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=14918 92+ Parker: "By contrast, the 2002 Dead Arm Shiraz was a challenge to effectively analyze. After the magnificent 2001, it comes acroos as lighter, more legant, but also closed and restrained. Several housr of aeration were beneficial, but this cuvee seems to be playing it close to the vest. However there is power beneath the tannic structure. A deep ruby/purple color is folowed by a backward, full-throttle Shiraz lacking the exhuberance, unctuosity, and stunning concentration of the 2001 and 1998.It has noble breeding, but appears to be totally shut down at present." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=30923 94 points Parker: "A brilliant effort is the 2005 Brave Faces, a small barrel-aged (20% new) blend of 70% Shiraz and 30% Grenache. Flamboyant aromas of black and red fruits, spice box, flowers, and toast are followed by a rich wine with loads of texture and glycerin as well as a heady, full-throttle yet velvety finish. It should drink well for a decade." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=35796 98 points Parker: "The profound 2005 Shiraz Amon Ra is fashioned from a dry grown, 100- to 110 year-old vineyard, and spends 14 months in a combination of 100% new French and American barrels as well as 300-liter hogsheads. A saturated purple color is followed by scents of creme de cassis, incense, licorice, black raspberries, graphite, and sweet wood. It unfolds beautifully on the palate to reveal terrific richness, full-bodied power, great definition, and lovely elegance. This exquisite Shiraz is still young, but it possesses a degree of accessibility. It should age for two decades. It is a superb example of cutting edge winemaking being utilized on ancient Shiraz vines in the Barossa." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=35787 88 points Tanzer: "Good deep ruby-tinged red. Aromas of roasted redcurrant, truffle and tobacco. Sappy, firm-edged berry flavors with a light green element. Sweet and pliant yet precise merlot finishing with a slightly tart, lingering finish." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=25228 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=14919 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=29676 98 points Parker: "Bordering on perfection is the 2004 Shiraz Savitar. Made from 30- to 50-year-old vines, and aged 18 months in 100% new French hogsheads as well as smaller barriques, it boasts an opaque purple color, and an extraordinary nose of acacia flowers, blueberries, raspberries, and blacker fruits, melted licorice, and graphite. It possesses amazing intensity, great equilibrium, a fabulous, multi-layered mid-palate, and a blockbuster finish. This extraordinary Shiraz should prove to be one of the legends of southern Australia?s great 2004 vintage. Drink it over the next 12-15 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=31755 96 points Parker: "From 60- to 100-year old vines that were saved from the bulldozer during the infamous Barossa ?vine pull? (hence the name), the 2005 Shiraz 11th Hour was cropped at .5 tons of fruit per acre, and aged in 100% French oak, of which 5% was new. Sweet, pure aromas of blackberries, blueberries, crushed pepper, and flowers jump from the glass of this inky/purple-colored Shiraz. As one might expect from such tiny yields, it is a wine of great intensity, massive body, and tremendous purity, definition, and length. While still primary, it gives all the indications of being a modern day classic that should last and improve for 15-20 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=37420 97 points Parker: "The dense purple-colored 2004 Shiraz Oracle ratchets up the fruit and glycerin levels, yet remains pure, elegant, and well-balanced. It offers beautiful aromas of blueberries, blackberries, acacia flowers, and spicy oak. Full-bodied, powerful, cleanly textured, long, and heady, I would not be surprised to see it evolve for 15-20 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=35826 93 points Parker: "From 40-year-old vines, the 2003 Shiraz Bad Impersonator reveals a French-like, graceful, elegant personality as well as plenty of concentration and intensity. Offering up notes of blackberries, dried herbs, subtle sweet vanillin, and notions of blueberries and roasted meats, this complex, ripe, medium to full-bodied Shiraz is satisfying both hedonistically and intellectually. Enjoy it over the next decade." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=31341 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=39417 98 points Parker: "The brilliant 2004 Les Amis (100% Grenache aged 18 months in new oak) is fashioned from a vineyard planted in 1903. While it does not have quite the size and power of the 2002 Les Amis, it is still a Grenache on steroids. With wonderful purity, more elegance than the 2002, and remarkably well-integrated oak, I suspect it will shut down at some point, require 4-5 years of patience, then re-emerge and last for two decades or more." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=34250 93 points Parker: "The expressive 2004 Shiraz Samantha?s Garden offers a dark ruby/purple color and a beautiful, sweet nose of black raspberries, black currants, licorice, smoke, and toast. Full-bodied, rich, and heady, this gorgeous Shiraz should drink well for a decade." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=35794 96 points Parker: "The 2004 Shiraz R Reserve comes from the Greenock?s Crowhurst Vineyard as well as a small parcel in Vinevale. Aged 27 months in 100% new French 300 liter hogsheads, and bottled unfined and unfiltered, it is an opaque purple-hued, backward, but super-concentrated, full-bodied effort with enormous potential. I would not be surprised to see it age like a Hermitage from France?s Rhone Valley. Give it 5-6 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 20-25 years." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=35823 97 points Parker: "The 2002 Eclipse (70% Grenache and 30% Shiraz) is a brilliant exercise in vineyard sourcing and management. It was produced from 60- to 70-year-old vines, spent 18 months in a combination of small oak casks as well as foudres, and enjoyed a meticulous upbringing. The result is a prodigious dense ruby/purple-colored red boasting a glorious perfume of black fruits, licorice, vanilla, graphite, and Asian spices as well as a touch of incense. Full-bodied, gorgeously pure, elegant, and seamless, it?s hard to know how this beauty will age, but I suspect it should be consumed during its first 10-12 years of life." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=30852 89 points Raynolds (Tanzer's IWC): "Saturated ruby. Ripe aromas of dark cherry, creme de mure, roasted coffee and grilled fennel, with rich, musky notes of smoke and peat; riper and darker in character today than the 2004. Thick, dense and viscous, with sweet, rich flavors of blackberry and chocolate, plus a light toffee/caramel quality. Outsized and creamy on the back, showing slightly syrupy texture. Large-scaled, sweet and fat; in fact, this calls to mind a bright, fresh barrel sample of vintage port.Very little oak spice is present in either of these vintages; it's all about the fruit." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=31217 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=13899 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=29054 99 points Parker: "The Tokay Calliope and Muscat Calliope are pure perfection. Both are amber-colored necs with extraordinary perfumes, incredible richness, and finishes that linger on the palate, seemingly, forever. At $50, they are a steal." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=26490 92 points Parker: "The 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is brilliant. Opaque black/purple-colored with an explosive nose of licorice, blackberry, cassis, tar, and new oak, this huge, ripe wine (it was aged in 100% new French oak) is layered, thick, smoky, concentrated, and a true blockbuster from this superb vintage. One thousand five-hundred cases were produced." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=16845 http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=16839 91 points Wine Spectator: "Dark, ripe and plush in texture, with a strong minty character that runs through the vivid blackberry and roasted plum at the center, persisting on the spicy, mildly cedary finish. Tannins need to settle down. Best from 2006 through 2012." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=31345 98 points Parker's WA: "The 2004 Shiraz ?Command? comes from a single block of 104-year-old vines. It was aged in 100% new oak puncheons (400 liter barrels). Opaque purple-colored, this Shiraz has fabulous aromatics of smoke, melted tar, licorice, espresso, game, and blueberry compote. Layered but tight, this full-bodied wine is thick, rich, and totally hedonistic. The finish lasts for 60 seconds. However, be warned. This monumental Shiraz needs 10-15 years to fully unfold. It will provide pleasure through 2035." http://www.premiercru.net/premier/shop/WineDetails.do?wineId=35828