Yalumba 2003 Shiraz

janniss

Tasting Tags: cherry liquorice pepper

Yalumba 2003 Shiraz

colin82

Tasting Tags:

Yalumba 2003 Shiraz

mitten

The label: This is not a fun label. Phew. I need a break from fun.

This is a modern, clean label, which relies on typography and composition to work. I think it may also rely on being seen next to its label-mates. Each variety has a different illustrated icon. Lined up together, bottle after bottle, it makes quite an attractive series.

The centered layout is not as successful here as it was with Le Grand Noir. The individual elements are very cool - great icon, beautiful setting of the text into the square block - but they don’t quite work together. Instead of rising above, it falls victim to the stasis that a centered design often brings. It doesn’t gel, it solidifies.

One last note on the label: the back label has a little perforated ‘pull-off’ tab with the name of the wine on it, presumably so you can conveniently remember the name if you consume it somewhere outside of home. Clever move!

The wine: Given the stately label, I was expecting a stately wine. Certainly not a fruit-forward fun wine, anyway. And that’s what this is - a stately wine, easy to drink, but with plenty of interesting notes. Mostly dark tones - chocolate, coffee, something like roasted nuts, too. Not much sweetness there, but not too dry either. Smooth blend, good full flavor.

We paired it with an appetizer of mozzerella, basil and prosciutto, then with chicken cacciatore and later had a bite of dark chocolate to check it with sweets. All these pairings were just fine. Nothing remarkable, nothing memorable, but they all worked.

This was a definite switch from the fun wines, but I don’t have an overwhelming urge to go out and drink this one again or even to jot it down on my list of ‘don’t forget this one’ wines. Nothing stands out in my mind to recommend it to my future self.

The final analysis: Both the wine and the label need one more round of revisions, one more caffeinated all-nighter, one more creative blast to put them over the top. Neither are quite there yet. (September 2005)

Tasting Tags: chocolate coffee dark somber