By Fergal Gleeson*
Murray Street Vineyards
Black Label Barossa Valley Shiraz 2010
When he heard that Donald Trump was elected my 7 year old boy cried. The next day when I collected him from school, he told me that he and a gang of 6 other Year 1’s (mostly girls) were leaving school the next day to go to America to fight Donald Trump.
I had no idea that our local Catholic school was such a hotbed of political radicals! I explained about how democracy works and the will of the people but he wasn’t having any of it. He told me that Trump was going to start World War 3 and was on record as saying that he was declaring war on Mexico and Australia.
He also said that Trump owned a gun and had shot a man and a greyhound. Apparently in separate incidents. The source of these revelations was some other Year 1 whose dad was American or who might have visited America once. Clearly Hilary’s team failed to capitalise on some dynamite material.
She could do worse than reflecting on that over a bottle of Murray Street Vineyards Black Label Barossa Shiraz from 2010. The wine is red rather than orange in colour which is a good start. Also there is nothing half-baked or bombastic about it.
Thorny, bramble tannins walk hand in hand with the dark fruit. This is an elegant, medium bodied Shiraz that’s all about balance. It is a classy wine.
To park politics for a moment sportspeople like racehorses can have good genes. Long legs proportionate to body size helps runners. Height and a long arm span will give an NBA player the edge.
But can genetics make you a good winemaker? Well yes if this wine is anything to go by. Murray Street Vineyards’ winemaker is Andrew Seppelt, is a descendent of Benno Seppelt. Benno developed Seppeltsfeld, the sprawling historic winery in the Barossa, into Australia’s largest winery at the turn of the 20th century.
Then it might be about craft. Andrew Seppelt spent his “10,000 hours” making wine at St Halletts, Rockford as well as American and French sojourns before Murray Street.
Genetics, technique, terroir, whatevas ..… this wine is a cracker. Hillary will need cheering up. The Murray Street Black Label Shiraz would be a good place to start. My son will have to stick with cordial and rereading Chicken Licken.
Rating: 4/5. RRP $25. For more Wine Reviews read and follow www.greatwineblog.wordpress.com Drink and be merry!
*Finalist- New Wine Writer of the Year 2016- WCA /Gourmet Traveller WINE
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