Simonsig Shiraz 2004...A tasty bargain.

We at The Vintry have stocked several vintages of this wine over the years because, it  always appeared on the market drinking perfectly, it generally had a nice few years of bottle age under its belt  before release which made it a real bargain.
The last vintage 2003 was €13.95.and the current vintage  2004  is selling at €9.95, because the main agent  was unloading a  parcel and we snapped it up.Tasty stuff with excellent concentration of  ripe black fruits ,a little black pepper and a creamy influence all in lovely balance due to its age.

At 14.5% it is not for the faint hearted but again the lovely bottle age serves to mellow out the alcohol,and there is tonnes of fruit, giving it perfect balance.The Shiraz vines used in this wine are obviously very healthy as there is no sign of the signature elastoplast aromas that one ofter associates with certain wines from South Africa.It is a modern yet authentic South African wine that is a pleasure to drink with or without food.

Evelyn
The Vintry

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Guigal, Cote Rotie, 1982

Tom came over for his dinner on Tuesday. Well actually he brought the dinner and I cooked it, he also brought the wine. Tom obviously drew the short straw... I made the baked potatoes, green salad and ratatouille. He brought frozen steaks, a bottle of gas and a Guigal Cote-Rotie 1982!!
Tom loves Northern Rhone and as a lucky result of this we've tried some amazing vintages. This was no worse than any of the other great vintages from Mouline, Landonne or Turque.
We sat around and watched the sediment settle. The cork was soft and seemed very porous which worried me at first. If this wine had been corked our only alternative was a Michel Lynch 2005 that I have been drinking around for the last 2 years. No offence to Michel Lynch but it would be like booking your holidays to the Seychelles and ending up in the Irish quarter of Santa Ponsa.
It poured almost like a Burgundy, strawberry red in colour with little black flecks of sediment. The nose is incredible - ripe strawberry and soft summer fruits with a hint of mushroom and some gravelly earthiness. The palate is smooth and full bodied. A little bit of acidity on the finish. The typical earthiness of a good Rhone working perfectly in line with the soft ripe berry fruit - strawberry and cherry.
Drink this by the neck or in a glass, with a steak or a slice of pizza. To be honest, a bottle of wine like this is the meal. Once you taste something this special everything else plays second fiddle. So, if you're out to impress and cooking isn't your forte, spend your wage on a good Northern Rhone. It definitely makes frozen steaks on a Tuesday the most memorable meal in ages!!!
Thanks Tom, as always.
Ruth.