Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Shiraz
Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Shiraz
Vintage: 2006
Region: Clare Valley, Australia
Varietal: 100% Shiraz
Alcohol: 15%
Price: $24.89
What can I say about this wine, it’s an Aussie Shiraz; so immediately I am looking at a big wine with lots of fruit and extraction. Jim Barry (the producer) is one of Australia’s finest with 13 separate bottlings of varietals such as Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Lodge Hill line would be considered entry level, mostly due to its price but should still have all the desirable attributes that make the Shiraz varietal so popular.
Out of the bottle, this wines coloring is purplish black. It is so dark and concentrated that it cannot be seen through, even when put up to a light. The nose has aromas of freshly ground coffee, spices and herbs with a base of concentrated fruit (thinking plums, dark berries). There are additionally hints of toasted oak. In the mouth, there is powerful fruit up front moving into charred coffee and oak over a medium finish. It has uncompromisingly rich concentration with massive extraction. If you were to look up fruitbomb in the dictionary, you might find this wine referenced.
Overall, this wine will appeal to many, especially those who love the ripe fruit that Australian Shiraz is known for. I love the fact that it lives under a screwtop and I believe it could easily be mistaken for a bottle that costs twice as much. I wouldn’t classify it as a daily drinker but if you are looking for an experience or something to enjoy with friends, it might make a great candidate.
89 Points
- Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Shiraz
- by Adrian Bryksa
- Published on April 15th, 2009
- Rating:
- 89 Points
More from Adrian Bryksa:
-
Best of 2006
Everyone is attacking your personal addictions about giving your body an inner glow and your desire to slowly asphyxiate yourself. Thankfully, the city of Calgary has accelerated their decision and made bars and clubs smoke free for January 1st, 2007 and has now prevented you from asphyxiating others.
-
Travaglini Gattinara Riserva
Typically, this is a 90 + point rated wine from Wine Spectator. It is an excellent example of an outstanding medium bodied Nebbiolo from Northern Piedmont in Italy, delivering a slightly hard candy, floral bouquet with a orangish hue.
-
Caves Alianca Quinta dos Quatro Ventos Douro
I immediately thought that this wine would be an excellent contender for the cellar as in my experience, they often are much better in a few years time when they have had a chance to mellow out in bottle.
-
Château Fonbadet
From a vintage perspective, 2003 was a great yet challenging in Bordeaux with intense heat arriving in August. Take 40 + degree Celsius temperatures and combine with a lack of cooling rain and one of the potential outcomes is roasted, thick skinned grapes contributing to flabby wine.
-
O Restaurant & Lounge revisited
Calgary has a diverse set of urban communities, most of which have the ubiquitous strip mall watering hole. In the South West community of Marda Loop, a reinvention of this paradigm has been established.
-
Narkoojee Cabernet Sauvignon
Narkoojee is a family run vineyard located in the relatively obscure Central Gippsland sub-region, which for those familiar with Australia is about 2.5 hours south east of Melbourne.
Other recent features:
-
Sónar 2010 – Barcelona, Spain
The festival attracts a lot of outsiders, but the Mediterranean, Spanish and more specifically Catalan nature of the people makes the festival what it is. Catalan people are passionate and this passion is infectious. The atmosphere is electric in Barcelona as a city and heightened by music and intoxicants at Sónar.
-
Summer Party Naval Styles at Seven RestoLounge
Oysters, like wine are affected by terroir and these Miyagi’s flavor profiles ranged with one showing a cleaner, almost tropical profile and the other being more salty, marine driven. As I was devouring the seemingly endless plates put in front of us, I sipped on a glass of fine sauvignon blanc.
-
R4NT Radio March 2010
R4NT Radio March 2010 um wow it’s been far too long since the last edition edition, featuring: Hector Hernandez, The Infesticons, Blockhead, Gramatik, Emika, Thunderheist, Parov Stelar, Eddy Meets Yannah, Anti-Pop Consortium, The Slew, Lighterthief, Andreya Triana, Parasyte Woman, Mathon, Venetian Snares, and Funki Porcini.
-
O Restaurant & Lounge revisited
Calgary has a diverse set of urban communities, most of which have the ubiquitous strip mall watering hole. In the South West community of Marda Loop, a reinvention of this paradigm has been established.
-
Predictions 2010.. and beyond!
So 2010 eh? Almost but not quite (no year zero they say) another decade? It seems like just yesterday that the world was waiting for Y2K. R4NT started publishing in March 2001, so we’re not quite 10 years old yet, but in internet years we are already a senior citizen.
-
Invictus
No matter what, the reality of Nelson Mandela is something that deserves screen time. Should this film even remotely intrigue the masses to take interest in this figure, the world would likely benefit greatly from it.
