d'Arenberg Blind Tiger Shiraz 2010

The Blind Tiger's vines are grown on sandy loam soils which means that the drainage is not a worry.  The loam aspect provides a large amount of nutrients for the vines to consume which may mean that the wines from this district could be unique and more expressive than a lot of other areas. D'Arenberg now has ten different individual vineyard wines with six wines on tasting each day to showcase the differences within McLaren Vale. On a sperate yet related note, Chester is one of the movers and groovers behind the scarce earth project.  I think this project is a brilliant idea as it gets people excited about tasting the diversity within one region.  What it will also do it allow people to gravitate towards the areas that they love the most.

d'Arenberg Blind Tiger Shiraz 2010

There are gorgeous aromatics cascading out of the glass which is driven by dried flowers and plums.  As I sit with this wine the flavours evolve but never trend toward over ripeness. It is a little more medium body than a lot of other wines from the area yet it still retains richness and regional appeal.  On the palate the flavours are shut down and locked up tight in a wealth of tannin.  The length of the wine is great with a structure that says **** off.  It is the light and playfull tannins that envelope my mouth mixed with a lively acid backbone that most impressed me.  As this wine has only been bottled two weeks ago I would leave it to settle and open up with a little time in bottle.  I've tried a few wines from d'Arenberg from the 2010 vintage and I would say they can't do anything wrong. If you haven't been down to their cellar door in a while then it is time.

Alcohol: 14.6%
Price: $99
Rated: 91+
Drink: Give it 12 years before opening it and it will live for decades.