1995 Elderton Shiraz Exclusive Estate

Elderton's 1995 Shiraz will be a big hit with anyone lucky enough to run across any of the several hundred cases that were imported to the United States. Dark ruby/purple-colored, with a seductive, sweet, vanillin, and jammy black fruit-scented nose, this wine is crammed with copious quantities of extract, fruit, glycerin, and concentration. As hedonistic a Shiraz as readers are likely to find, this voluptuously-textured, round, expansively-flavored wine is deliciously pure, and dramatic. Its low acidity and glorious levels of fruit should insure an enthusiastic reception. Drink it over the next 7-8 years. Kudos to proprietor Neil Ashmead, who is turning out some marvelously hedonistic, full-flavored wines from his estate vineyards in the warm Barossa Valley (50 miles northeast of Adelaide). Importer: The Australian Premium Wine Collection, imported by Cabo Distributing, South El Monte, CA; tel. (818) 575-8090