The 2005 Shiraz Platinum Label sourced from the Barossa Valley spent 20 months in new and one-year-old French oak. The aromatics reveal pain grille, pencil lead, espresso, blueberry, sausage notes, and chocolate. This leads to a full-bodied wine with gobs of savory, spicy black and blue fruit flavors, a smooth texture, and exceptional depth. This lengthy wine can be enjoyed now but will evolve for 4-6 years and be at its best from 2013 to 2025. Importer: Foster Wine Estates Americas, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-4500

Firm in texture, with some density to the ripe cherry and peppery spice flavors, finishing slightly gritty. This achieves a certain elegance, and could gain depth with cellaring. Drink now through 2016. 307 cases imported.??–HS??Region: Australia / Barossa Select to Add

At this young age and only a couple of months after bottling, the French oak is showing a bit in the smoky, toasty aromas. But there’s plenty of fruit to balance out the wood—plummy, fruitcake-like flavors that wash over the palate in creamy, lush waves. Mouthfilling and rich, with a supple, long finish; if it’s a trifle less complex and structured than the 2004, it makes up for it in sheer lusciousness. Drink now–2015.——J.C.(11/1/2007)—— 93