FOr New Year's Eve dinner, I went Australian.
Finished of the bottle of '02 Sevenhill Riesling from the night before,
Opened a bottle of my newfound case of Oliverhill Jimmy Section Shiraz,
Killed a bottle of Marquis Philips Shiraz, and, for desert:
Chambers Rosewood Rutherglen Tokay.
You've read about the Sevenhill Riesling. It got better the second night, showing its remarkable staying power and confirming Gavin's comment about keeping it for the next decade.
You've read about the MP Shiraz. It was consistent, if not exciting amongst its dinner counterparts. It wound up making a very nice Shiraz reduction for my filet, as well as a little bit of flavor for my mushrooms ... plus a few big glasses full of in-your-face Shiraz drinking enjoyment.
You've read about the Chambers Tokay. This is my favorite desert wine and probably the single most flexible wine I have ever tasted ... it goes with everything and is seemingly enjoyed by everyone that tastes it, regardless of their standing of the wine-geekdom continuum. YUM.
OK, so the one wine that you might NOT have read about is the '01 Oliverhill Shiraz, Jimmy Section. This wine is 16.0% EtOH, yet it integrates it well. It is black in color and showing a viscosity that gave it not "legs" but rather"sheets". I practically had to scrape it off the sides of my Spiegelau Authentis Cabernet glasses!
The Oliverhill shows sweet blackberries and other very dark fruits. There is also some coffee, black liquorice, and vanilla from the (apparently) American oak treatment. It was not as overtly sweet as the MP9, nor as oaky (to my tastes, anyway). I liked this wine better than the MP9, which I rated a 93. I give this Oliverhill a 94-95 point rating, and a SOLID recommendation if one were able to find some to buy. HINT: The availability of this wine ONSHORE US is extremely limited.
This wine will be a keeper for the next few decades ... and I hope to not even open more than a few more from my case between now and 2006.
PS: I WILL open one of these in a Shiraz comparison between this, my '98 St Hallett Old Block (JH95), and my '99 Dead Arm (RP96). I'm just waiting to add a few more killer Shirazes before I pull the corks. Anyone want to join me?
