Winemaker Notes
This wine is a masterful blend. Bursting with exuberant fruit and a complex aromatic nose, this wine shows lovely integrated hints of vanillan oak and multitude of flavors ranging from spice, chocolate and blackberry fruit. Both powerful and delightful, this wine exudes all three varietal characters in a strong and harmonious way.
This wine is great with fish, white meats, red meats, salads and cheeses. Optimum drinking: now - 4 years.
"The 2005 Two Left Feet is a 65% Shiraz, 19% Merlot, and 16% Cabernet Sauvignon blend assembled by Sarah Marquis. The fruit is sourced from McLaren Vale, Padthaway, and Langhorne Creek, and the wine is aged for 9-12 months in a combination of American and French oak (about 50% new and 50% one-year old). It boasts an inky/purple color, superb intensity, a big, sweet, full-bodied nose of creme de cassis, graphite, white chocolate, black olives, blackberry liqueur, and spice, and a spectacular, voluptuous, even unctuous texture. This is a big, powerful, classic southern Australian red made with no compromises. The good news is that there are 6,500 cases of this superb value. Drink it over the next 3-4 years, although I suspect it will last for a decade or longer. Two more expensive Mollydooker cuvees will be reviewed in my full Australian report in the October issue."-Wine Advocate
Professional Ratings
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.