Wine Entry : Black Opal Barossa Shiraz 2000 (Australian)

This bottle was purchased from DFS, still have 2 bottles of the 2000 and 1 bottle of the 2001. It’s our fav to purchase especially when traveling. Now I have seen it less around. Remembered it costs about S$36. The colour of the wine is an opaque dark garnet despite a few years of cellaring.

Smell : Strong alcoholic legs. Dark currents, chewy cassis, mixed with an oaky smoky backdrop.
Taste : Burst of fruit and alcohol which slowly transcends to the spicy pepperish layer. The tannins have somewhat mellowed over the years.

After-taste : Detectable nutmeg spice and black pepper with a medium finish.

Description at back of bottle :
The limited release Black Opal Barossa wines have been produced to showcase the best regional characteristics of the varieties for which this most famous of Australian wine making regions is renowned. Sourced predominately from our own Tolley’s vineyard, this is a richly textured wine that exemplifies the robust red wine characteristics of the Barossa Valley. The Shiraz vines in this vineyard grow in low fertile red/brown soils over limestone and have an average age of 60 years. As a consequence the berries tend to be smaller and have greater intensity of colour and flavour. Following fermentation in traditional fermenters, this Shiraz was gently pressed and allowed to mature in small American and French oak for 20 months. This wine is a rich, concentrated Shiraz that displays intense plum, blackberry and pepper characters with hints of licorice. Rich and robust Shiraz flavours are supported by spice and vanilla oak characters and fine softly textured tannins. This wine will continue to improve with cellaring over the next ten years.