WTN: A Jammy Concoction

2004 Mr. Black's Concoction. Barossa Valley. Shiraz (96%) Viognier blend. 15% abv. $18 USD a couple of years ago. This is a style of wine that is much out of favor here, but every once in a while I feel like one of these: a big, in your face, jammy, cocktail wine. This one works better than the cheaper examples you find commonly. It has a lush deep garnet color. On the nose and on the palate, rich, immediate, intense cherry and other red fruits, with deft use of oak to yield smooth but not overwhelming sweet vanilla, medium body with a fiery finish from it's high alcohol content. You gotta problem with that? An entertaining wine with an entertaining label which could have only come from Oz. I don't want this all the time, but every once in a while it hits just the right spot. Paired well with pasta and tomato sauce enhanced with farmers' market brats.

An entertaining wine with an entertaining label which could have only come from Oz..

Did the label really add much to your enjoyment?

Rahsaan,

I'm a visual person and I love wine labels. While I generally prefer more restrained and traditional labels - there's really nothing better or more evocative than a Bordeaux label - and I hate cute ones, this one is pretty good. It didn't make the wine TASTE better, but it was fun to contemplate. So yes, it did.

It didn't make the wine TASTE better, but it was fun to contemplate. So yes, it did.

It's all part of the experience, which I have been known to enjoy myself from time to time..

And it's not a huge deal, but always interesting to see which way the bottle faces at a dinner party. All things being equal, it's nice not to have the bottle turning its back on you. But, that's not possible for everyone!

It's one of the things I miss when ordering wine by the glass...unless the wine is really disappointing. Well, even then maybe.