Print this Wine         1997 Bannockburn Shiraz   GEELONG                 January Release   Shiraz       This wine has been a revelation for Bannockburn's loyal supporters in recent years. The Winemaking style has been dramatically altered with outstanding success. Once again this vintage of the wine is a triumph. In the early years Gary Farr used to make Shiraz in the typical Australian style, read Barossa and McLaren Vale. These wines are wonderful but they are warm climate wines and for the high level of extraction and new oak the fruit must be just a little sun baked. Geelong is very cool climate so Gary changed his changed his techniques so that he made a more delicate style, relying on perfumed fruit with soft tannins and very little oak influence. The bouquet of this wine shows the benefit of these techniques. There is a multitude of fruit characters with plums and raspberries being the most evident. There is some aniseed, cloves and a hint of violets to give this wine a real attack. No real oak flavors are evident and the wine is remarkably fresh and perfumed. On the palate the fruit is supported by a chewy, fleshy texture. The finish is driven by acid as the tannins are very gentle. The general impression is more like a wine from the Northern end of the Rhone Valley in France, rather than any other vineyard region in Australia. At the moment the wine is a sheer joy to drink. I see no point in letting it develop into an old wine however given the acid and fruit concentration it will probably hold together for at least five years or so. Try the wine with some game, perhaps Quail stuffed with a mixture of herb and spices and served with a lifted reduction sauce. With its freshness of fruit and spicy nature the wine would be ideal matched with spicy Asian food.

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