ballantrae shiraz, barossa valley 2001

The mellifluous 2wanda made some delicious beef `n' spinach lasagna tonight, so i hunted in the "cellar" (the spot in the pantry where i've set up a 12-hole polystyrene mold, two cardboard boxes, and a 12-bottle rack) and came up with a bottle of Ballantrae Barossa Valley Shiraz 2001 (what the hell is the convention for naming a wine, anyway? vintner first, sure, but then where do the appellation, varietal, and vintage go?). The cork was stubborn, the color was enticingly dark, the bouquet was earthy and stronger than i'd expected for a shiraz. Velvety (but not furry) up front, moderate fruit, medium body, goes down nice and clean. I could guzzle this. Mmmmmmm. I picked it up at Costco; take a look next time you're there.

ballantrae shiraz, barossa valley 2001

The mellifluous 2wanda made some delicious beef `n' spinach lasagna tonight, so i hunted in the "cellar" (the spot in the pantry where i've set up a 12-hole polystyrene mold, two cardboard boxes, and a 12-bottle rack) and came up with a bottle of Ballantrae Barossa Valley Shiraz 2001 (what the hell is the convention for naming a wine, anyway? vintner first, sure, but then where do the appellation, varietal, and vintage go?). The cork was stubborn, the color was enticingly dark, the bouquet was earthy and stronger than i'd expected for a shiraz. Velvety (but not furry) up front, moderate fruit, medium body, goes down nice and clean. I could guzzle this. Mmmmmmm. I picked it up at Costco; take a look next time you're there.