Tatiarra Culled Barrel Shiraz 2009

Any wine that is deemed not suitable for inclusion into the three flagship blends is labeled as 'Culled Barrel Shiraz.' The 2009 Culled Barrel Shiraz has a deep garnet-purple color and pronounced aromas of licorice, rose petals, blackberry and blueberry preserves, Indian spices, Ceylon tea, violets and a whiff of tar. Very crisp, rich and full bodied, it has a medium-firm level of fine-grained tannins and a generous amount of fruit in the mid-palate, though the finish is a little shorter than expected with medium-long persistence. Delicious now, it should continue to give pleasure through 2015. Score - 90. (Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW, erobertparker.com, June 2011)