2001 penfold's rwt

Well, I've done it again.  I've committed infanticide.  Well, maybe not infanticide, perhaps just nineyearoldicide, whatever that's called.  This wine, while excellent, should probably have been left sitting for at least another few years.

But I couldn't help myself.  It was Thanksgiving.  I wanted to open something special.  And this was the oldest thing I had in the "drinkable" pile.  Of course it paired horribly with just about every dish we had on the table.

The wine itself was a wonderful dark purple.  It smelled like plums and had a velvety, jammy taste to it.  It was quite smooth, with no defects discernable to my amateur palate.  I decanted it for about 20 min prior to drinking, and that probably could have gone on longer.

Anyway, I don't have any more of it, so I won't know if it gets any better with age unless Ben has some stashed away.  If so I propose we conviene in 2013 and give it a try.

Shingleback Black Bubbles Sparkling Shiraz

The wife and I picked this up on a whim at Whole Foods for around US$20.  We were having a vegetarian concoction of couscous, avocado, broccoli and a broccoli-pesto sauce for dinner and it just seemed like it might go well.  And when it's hot, like it was that weekend, a well-made sparkling wine might just be what one needs.

The food, by the way, was amazing.  The wine itself was pretty okay.  It was a nice, dark, inky color which is to be expected with a name like "Black Bubbles".  There was quite a bit of frothy-pinkness at the top and I think my decision to use the French wine glasses (as opposed to some Riedel goblet of opulence) was a good one.  There was plenty of fresh, black fruit taste.  It had good balance that made it seem like more than just carbonated Shiraz.  There is a place for this wine, probably as the first wine in the afternoon of a night that will be full of a long line of wines, but all on its own it left me wanting more...

I like the label design too.

2004 Hay Shed Hill Pitchfork CSM

Still the best wine under $10 made in Australia.  I love the label and I love the wine.  When I can, I buy a case of it and drink it all year and it never fails to impress.

If you can find it, stock up.