Wine Details

Coriole • Contour 4
200286
Australia • South Australia • McLaren Vale
55%
45%
2002
86
Jeff Tolmie - 28.10.2006
Didn't rate in detail. Very strong and peppery, so subdued fruits. I quite liked it as a different direction to the straight aussie shiraz.
26.10.06
1
9.99
Shiraz & Co.
Notes
Alcohol: 14%
http://www.coriole.com/i.cfm/144/

In this popular blend Shiraz adds an attractive warmth and richness to the leaness of Sangiovese.

First produced with the 2001 vintage, the 2003 has lovely ruby hues and a nose with liquorice, molasses and distinct sweet red cherry and black cherry overtones. Black cherry/ berry show up on the front of the palate and then the wine gets dark and savoury with delicous chocolate and earthy flavours highlighted with cedar notes. A lovely balance between tannins and acid along with generous fruit give a lingering finish.

This is a blend of 55 percent of the Italian variety Sangiovese (perhaps best known as the leading grape in Chianti) with 45 percent of the Australian Shiraz (Syrah), grown in the lovely McLaren Vale wine region not far south of Adelaide. It's dark garnet in color with a reddish-violet edge. Pleasant wild-cherry aromas lead into fresh and bright red-fruit flavor with a whiff of spice and a distinctly oaky edge, with crisp acidity to provide structure. I don't think I would mistake it for Chianti in a blind tasting, with its New World fruit-forward character, mouth-filling texture and perceptible oak. But it shows its Italian ancestry in its inviting, quaffable flavor and food-friendly acidity. US Importer: Robert Whale Selections Ltd., Washington, D.C. (Feb 11, 2006)

FOOD MATCH: It paired very nicely with an Italian-style dinner of polpettine (veal mini-meatballs) over spaghetti with a "pink" sauce of fresh tomatoes and a bit of cream.

Ref: 341