04 Kay Bros Amery Vinyards Hillside Shiraz has been uncorked

[JimHow]

What the heck is this stuff? Kind of a muddy color. I'll let this sit a bit while we start with some cheese.

[JimHow]

Random thought while I try to gather up courage to take a second sip...

So, do you think that Blagojevich fellow is guilty? He's going to be impeached because he didn't defend himself, but, you know, I'm still waiting to hear that one piece of tape, that one big piece of evidence, that hits me over the head and says he's clearly guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. I've heard a bunch of stupid comments, I've heard some sketchy stuff, he's clearly a bit off his rocker, but I would love to defend that case, I think there are a lot of points to be scored for the defense.

Okay.... Back to the wine.... This a thick, hot, unctuous shiraz, not the balance of that R Wines First Class effort I had a few months back. It's settling down a bit.

[JimHow]

Fitting I should just see Al Gore on TV while sipping on this wine, this wine seems scorched! It makes the '03 Bordeaux vintage seem downright chilly. It is quite raisiny, the question for my uneducated palate is whether it will settle down with dinner. the other problem I have with this wine is that I have virtually no reference points, I have little idea how this compares to other Australian shirazes.

[Michael McNamara]

I would bet that the Feds have a least 6-12 months of tapes on Blagojevich.When I did a wire taps it would be a least 3-6 months if not longer depending on the nature of the case.Most likely they have something on him.It probaby would be a fun case to defend.I would be curious to just how much dirt the Feds have.The case may not be a strong as the Feds think.I am no fan of Blagojevich but he deserves his day in court.

Note sure that all his grandstanding is gone to help his case but time will tell.

Regards,Mike

[JimHow]

The conversations with his brother are compelling, but even there I don't see that nail-in-the-coffin, gotcha moment. Should be interesting to see how it unfolds.

Meantime, this wine isn't too exciting. It is like the anti-Bordeaux with all its heat, muddyness, and lack of balance. It has a nice spicy nose and it's not a bad wine, just not a very good one. It is "good"-- I'll give it 86 points.

[Claudius]

Jim,
I've never really understood these wines.
They are something of a love or hate style, and too jammy and flabby for me.

[JimHow]

Yes, flabby, that's how I would describe it....

[Houndsong]

Sounds nasty. Where's Claudius?

[Brad Trent]

Jim, Jim, Jim.....your first problem was BUYING a wine like this! I mean, what's the name of your website?!! And the second flaw is that you probably opened this about 3-4 years (at least) too soon! As an unashamed lover of most things Oz, I can say with authority that even though the Hillside is the 'second' wine from Kay Brothers, it still generally needs a lotta time to get rid of what you call 'flab', especially if a lover of Old World-styled wines like yourself is gonna be doing the drinking.



Just two weeks ago, I put together a LARGE tasting that hit all the wine food groups (German & Austrian Riesling, White Burgs, California Cabs & Syrahs, Oz Shiraz & Cab, Brunellos & Super-T Sangiovese, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone & Languedoc) and pulled both the '98 Block 6 and Hillside outta my 'Corner of Kay's' (about 100 bottles going back to 1994) to see how the two shiraz wines from the same producer in the same vintage performed and the unanimous opinion around the table was that both were stunning, both were drinking well but far from 'peaking' and that if this is what happens to 'good' Oz shiraz with a decade of bottle age then most of what you read could possibly be hampered by having simply opened the stuff too soon!



BT

[JScott]

Fabulous photos, Brad. I've gotten away from most things Oz myself, after taking the enamel off my teeth a few years back from an Integrity with an alcohol of about 17%. Guide me to the more classically styled bottlings, which I think might appeal to me more.

[JScott]

By the way, I should say that I really did enjoy some Bindi Pinots, which surprised me.

[JimHow]

Hmm, very informative indeed, Brad. Parker rated that second wine 92 points and i wondered what the disconnect was, as we were unable to get three quarters of the way through the bottle.

[Brad Trent]

I'm at a loss as to how Parker readjusts his palate considering his love of Rhone & Bordeaux, but it's no secret he has a serious love of Oz Shiraz. Actually, a '92' point rating from him can almost be considered a bad review since he regularly drops 94-96 points on stuff he really likes. However, as I said, I just think the '04 Hillside is too young to drink and judge right now...when they're young, they do come across as oaky, fruity, sometimes hot and often simple wines, but my experience with the Hillside has been extremely positive once it gets older...the '98 was drinking beautifully and given it prolly cost me less than $20 on release, a rockin' deal as well. In my opinion, only the top-tier shiraz bottles (Block 6, Best's Thomson Family, Grange & RWT, Run Rig, Hill of Grace, Noon Reserve, Dead Arm, etc...) show the kind of complexity you can taste when they're young in such a way that you know they'll age into something special...one taste of a young Block 6 or Run Rig and even a Bord-o-Phile would admit that there is serious structure and breeding in the glass, even if the flavor profile may not be to their liking. But I really believe that the vast majority of Oz shiraz is made to be drunk young...really young!!! What can be a fun, cocktail style wine right after bottling, often turns into a oaky mess a few years later and it will NEVER get better. There are way too many new producers in Oz turning out these 17% nightmares that are obviously being marketed to grab big point scores and turn a quick profit. I've made the mistake of believing Parker's optimistic ratings myself...I bought a lot of '98 shiraz that he went ga-ga over and said would last for decades, only to find out he was waaaaay wrong.....I opened a '98 Command Shiraz a week ago and poured the shit out it was so bad...not corked, cooked or otherwise flawed, just a hot, oaky waste of time with no fruit to speak of, and after bottling it was a lotta fun....if you like that sort of thing!

BT

[DavidG]

Exact same experience here, Brad. A lot of these wines are great on release as cocktail wines but just fall apart over time. I know one of our Oz posters gets incensed every time I say this, because it really is dependent on which wines you pick. I still love a Grange with age on it, but thre are a lot of hyped ones that just fall apart - like the '98s you and I were both burned on.

[Claudius]

Houndsong,
As I've noted several times, there are plenty of Aust shirazes that are NOT jammy anf flabby.
I like Aust shiraz but these days, buy a very limited range and that tends to be wines that are not of the turbo charged, hi alcohol, hi extract variety.
They suit Parker more than me.

Now, they are often great to try - a half a glass or so of Noons Reserve, Greenock Creek, Two Hands et al is pretty good but they really start becoming cloying after a while. They tend to be better to taste than drink.

What is sad is that so many Americans think all Aust wines are like that - they aren't, it is just that these wines are made to suit a market that wants heavy, dense wines and there is nothing wrong with that. If some buyers want them, good luck.

Aust also makes some great cabernets that never seem to be noticed overseas, wines like Cullen, Moss Wood, Cape Mentelle, Yarra Yering, Yarra Yarra Vineyard, Voyager, Balnaves The Tally, Wynns John Riddoch, Howard Park, Mount Mary, etc.

Also note that hardly anyone in Aust ever drinks [yellowtail]. Strange but true, Casella sells a million cases a month of it and most goes to the USA.

[DavidG]

Clearly the OZ wines we get in the US differs from what is typically available to you domestically. Blame it on the hype and scores if you like, but the impression of the average US wine enthusiast is driven at least in part by what we have for purchase in the stores. I have had a few of the wines on your list and agree that they are not heavy cocktail wines. An older Mount Mary Quintet particularly stands out in my mind. It was brought over by an Ozzie friend, was beautifully developed, and was consensus WOTN at a dinner last year. But we don't see much of that stuff over here.

[Claudius]

David,
a lot of wines are purposely made for the US and I have to say, Parker's palate.
There are some (IMHO) rather ordinary wines that get 90 odd Parker points yet Mount mary for one gets low points - like low to mid 80s.

I have no problem with makers developing wines for Parker. Some I really like others I find too hot, tarry and jammy.
It is a business decision and not some idealistic, pseudo-religious art form that writers like Jefford and Terry Theise talk of.

There is plenty of room for all types of wine in the world and I'm the first to accept that we all have different palates and that's okay.
I hate Sav Blanc for example and vegetal reds (eg, Chinon). Others can have my share.

[robert goulet]

I have a few bottles of the 04' block six. I know many have their reservations of how Oz shiraz ages and rightfully so. I must say I think this wine can age. In no way did it feel flabby and over the top. It's big, no doubt, serious foundation with a tidal wave of blackberry slate. I have two bottles left and will wait another 3 years before trying another.


nice pic's brad. i like the shot of the sine qua non