2001 Annie's Lane "Copper Trail" Shiraz

decantstoptasting

This is a VERY lovely Shiraz/Cabernet blend from South Australia’s Clare Valley. The most aromatic we’ve tried yet. Color is inky purple, dense. You can’t really see through it by candle light, but the highlights are gorgeous. The nose… aaah, the nose. The first thing that hits you is the woody smell. I know it is oak, but it isn’t so specific as most oaky smells we’ve experienced. This might have something to do with the fact that it is 6 years old now. Also, it isn’t unreasonable for it to be oaky since it spent 22 months in oak barrels! We also smell licorice, tar and rubber. Don’t let that put a bad image in your imagination, it isn’t bad… it just makes it interesting. Beyond that you can smell tart red fruit, maybe even citrus, and vanilla. There is also a slight floral and smoky aspect. When we had the first taste both of us had an eye opening experience… literally. We were taken aback with it. It was like BAAAAM! This is a different wine… different than anything we’ve had before. Yep, you can taste the oak, but it is totally integrated and pleasant. There is also a big tar versus red fruit war going on. The licorice is present too… not the twizler kind… more like the black, Dutch kind. My mom is from the Netherlands, and I know this taste well. I think I can taste cinnamon as well, but not certain that’s what it is. Mouth-feel is excellent, almost creamy… really coats your tongue like a cherry syrup. The aftertaste is big on licorice, black pepper, maybe a little of that rubber, and slight, ripe tannins. This wine reminds me of a Barolo, only better. It is amazing. This is by far the best wine either of us have ever had, and we are getting sadder by the moment thinking we may not be able to find another bottle of it. It is truly wonderful. It is complex, rich, but at the same time seems light. It is plenty acidic enough to have with the heaviest of meals, yet really nice all by itself. If you have this wine, or find it, give it to us! Or, drink it now and have a wonderful wine experience. Rating: 95 Price: $19 (actually got it for $15 due to a distributor close-out through K&L) PS We never read the review of a wine, which is posted below, right before drinking and reviewing a wine. Of course I typically will do research before even buying a wine, but pretty much always forget the details. I’m also not that impressed with other peoples ratings, as mine tend to differ often times anyway. I think the review below was done upon release of this wine in 2004, and it has gotten better with age.

Tasting Tags: 2001 95 annies australia copper lane points red shiraz syrah trail wine