Tyrrell’s Brokenback Shiraz 2001

Tyrrell’s Brokenback Shiraz 2001 (Hunter Valley, NSW)
Cork, $20, 12.8%!

12.8% alcohol! Now that’s what I like to see on an Aussie Shiraz. Thankyou Hunter Valley for delivering, yet again.

Light terracotta in colour and definitely looking eight years old, this very typical (in a great way) maturing Hunter Shiraz has a rich, earthen, ‘look kids, it’s a Hunter Shiraz’, utterly unmistakeable nose. The smell of red Hunter dirt is so all pervading, that I think many would/could dislike it. I, on the other hand, love it.

It tastes then much like it smells. Earthen. Hunterish. Mid weight yet appreciably rich, with plenty of meaty, Bonox & cocoa powder flavours. The acidity is high, the tannins soft, chocolatey and sneakily ending this wine off with a punch. Yum. My only criticism is that it’s just a little bit awkward in the flow across the palate, but I think if you drunk this with, say, Roast Beef & Baked Potatoes, the slightly drying acidity would integrate further.

Even without a dinner plate in hand though, this lovely example of the Hunter Burgundy style is much to my liking. It’s hardly an incredibly serious wine, nor is it super concentrated or particularly intense, but it does show off its terroir to perfection. The Hunterishness itself may polarise some drinkers, but I say ‘more please’. 18.3