2001 Barton Vale, Cape d'Estaing, Dutschke Fonthill & Kilikanoon Shiraz Horizontal

“I cannot believe there has ever been a wine from Kangaroo Island as spectacular as the 2001 Shiraz Admiral’s Reserve. Sadly, there are only four barrels (100 cases) of this sensational effort, a tribute to the proprietors and their winemaker, Robin Moody. It spent 22 months in French oak, and tastes like a great Bordeaux classified growth. A tremendously opaque purple color accompanies the big, sweet nose of lead pencil shavings, black currants, minerals, and sweet yet subtle toasty oak. Medium to full-bodied and extremely well-delineated, with moderately high tannin, a touch of austerity, tremendous mid-palate depth, and a finish that lasts over 60 seconds, this stunning, remarkably elegant Shiraz should be given 2-3 years of bottle age, and enjoyed over the following 10-12. Bravo! (RP)” (08/2003)

“Profound is the 2001 Shiraz Oracle, one of the flagship wines of Kilikanoon. From low yielding 40-year-old vines, produced in open top fermenters, and aged 24 months in 50% new French oak casks, there are 1,000 cases of this spectacular Shiraz. A dense purple color is accompanied by a sumptuous perfume of creme de cassis, blackberry liqueur, scorched earth, smoke, graphite, and espresso. There is tremendous density, remarkable full-bodied power, good underlying acidity, and a big, fleshy, full-throttle finish with fine acidity as well as sweet tannin. While still young, it should age for 10-15 years. (RP)” (10/2004)

“The maximum possible amount of lusciously sweet red and black fruits, vanilla oak and soft tannins have been crammed into the bottle. *Silver*” (10/2003)

“The traditionally styled 2001 Shiraz The Challenger (from Barossa fruit) is a full-bodied, blockbuster, pedal-to-the-metal, balls-to-the-walls offering boasting loads of scorched earth, blackberry, and tarry flavors. Powerful with seamlessly integrated acidity, tannin, and alcohol (interestingly, it possesses one-half percent less alcohol than the Smith’s Folly). (RP)” (08/2003)

“The 2001 Barton Vale Shiraz The Challenger shows bright blueberry fruit with spiced meat, herbs and thyme aromas on the nose. Slightly compact and dense, this is full bodied with rich fruit and a long finish.” (09/2008)

“A new offering (virtually unavailable since there is only one barrel produced) is the 2001 Shiraz Single Barrel. Basically a beefed up version of the 2001 Shiraz Oscar Semmler, it is a terrific effort that should last for 10-15 years.” (08/2003)

“Big fruit and wide-reaching eucalyptus aromas waft from the nose, while on the palate, blackberry and plum fruit flavors take on accents of bramble or fireplace.” (05/2004)

“The saturated ruby-hued 2001 Silk Shiraz offers a big, explosive nose of blackberries, flowers, pepper, spice, and more new oak than the Grenache. There is plenty of texture, a rich, medium to full-bodied palate feel, and a long finish in this impressive red.” (10/2004)