Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2009 The Eight Iron Shiraz has a youthfully mute nose with notes of kirsch, tar and tree bark over hints of cumin, Indian spices and warm blueberries. Well structured and more expressive in the mouth, it’s very full bodied with crisp acid and firm, finely grained tannins, finishing long and savory. Consider drinking it 2013 to 2023+. The d’Arenberg winery is 100 years old with a fourth generation Osbourne in charge today of this now considerable operation. Graduated from Roseworthy College in 1983, Chester was expected by his father to change things when he took over the family business. Instead he went back to tradition rather than modernizing. In the d’Arenberg vineyards there is no cultivating, fertilizing or herbicides used – Chester compares these artificial means to growing plants hydroponically. Looking to continually improve the root systems of his vines, he rarely irrigates. Average yields are 1.7 tons per acre. “2011 was actually a great year for us,” Chester informed me. “We didn’t have any problems with rot.”Importer: Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA, www.oldbridgecellars.com