Hobbs Gregor Shiraz 2005 750mL

The nose shows intense blackcurrant and cranberry fruit, and the subtle cedary cinnamon spice, barrel-ferment and oak derived aromas, violet and mint scents, as well as liquorice and chocolate smells. Interwined is this wounderful green edge that lifts the wine into a cool climate sepctrum which typifies the cold year. These aromas combine with some cassis, blueberry, and cranberry, with lingering mocha and plumy fruit and are just showing through amongst a long, intense vibrant, gritty fruit tannin finish.

Chester Osborn, the remarkable person behind this enormous array of both impeccably high quality and value-priced wines, deserves considerable accolades for what he is able to achieve at all price ranges.

If you love Australian wines, d’Arenberg is a winery to seek out as these offerings all possess abundant soul as well as character. In short, the accolades that proprietor/winemaker Chester Osborn receives not only from The Wine Advocate, but virtually everybody in the wine world, are all well deserved.

Food Matching:

Spice crusted barbecued butterflied leg of lamb, linguine pasta with mushrooms and caramelised onions.

Strong bright rim with a mid-deep red core.

The hints of blackcurrant and blackberry are typical characters of this variety. Typically McLaren Vale produces a dark, spicy chocolate character in Cabernet and this is evident. However, this wine has fascinating aromas of mint, leather and dark cherries. The oak shows when the wine is first poured, but with a little time in the glass yields to give a subtle cinnamon, char and cherry combination.

As a young wine, the palate is a little tight. The cherry and chocolate come through as does a blackberry fruit character. The tannin and acidity are firm, but balanced for a wine that will drink well when young, preferably with food. It will develop further complexity with cellaring.

The 2002 season was characterised by a cold, wet winter and spring, which produced lower yields with good, thick-skinned berries. The cool and dry summer ripened fruit gradually and a warm, dry autumn allowed the grapes to ripen fully, producing some of the best and most exotic characters seen for many years.

The 2005 vintage is now showing deep red with a purple rim. The wine in its infancy still shows a lifted and perfumed nose with traces of red plum, blackcurrant and cracked red peppercorn. The palate with all its freshness and luxurious, velvety tannins is so rich and concentrated, yet so reserved. It is a satisfying mixture of chocolate, aniseed and smoky oak. The copious layers are incredibly tightly bound and need time and careful cellaring to unleash the full potential of this wine

Our homage to the great old vines of the Barossa Valley, this wine is composed of 100% Shiraz. Complex and concentrated, the wine is cloaked in velvet tannins that will continue to develop for another 10 at least. The Factor is all that you would expect of a pureblood Barossa Shiraz.

This wine is dark ruby red in colour, juicy and aromatic on the nose with hints of leafy and tobacco varietal characters. The palate is instantly rich and mouth filling with ripe cherry and blackcurrant fruit. Well structured with mocha and chocolate flavours and fine emery tannins. White pepper and cloves combine to give a lengthy, spicy finish.

Vibrant deep red black with intense violet rim. Powerful lifted complex fruit aromas of cassis, tobacco leaf and subtle spicy oak. Intensely fresh cassis and blackberry flavours with cinnamon and licorice complexity. The fruit weight is balanced by enveloping firm tannin structure and the finish has great length.

Multi layered concentration of very rich, juicy, full-bodied black-berried fruits combined with chocolate, tar, pepper, liquorice, smoky oak and chewy robust tannins.

An intensely complex mouthful of Shiraz fruit with a finish that lingers and lingers. The rich fruit carries the 15.5% alc/vol and we would see this Block 6 developing into a great example of old vine Shiraz with 6 years plus in a good cellar.