Veritas Winery Hanisch Vineyard Shiraz 1997 750ml

Wine Advocate #183 Jun 2009
The most enjoyable for drinking now are the two 1997s, a theme that was repeated time and time again in this Australian tasting. The 1997 Shiraz Hanisch Vineyard was one of the most complex and drinkable wines we tasted, and was far more evolved than its massive stablemate, the 1998, or the more rustic 1996. Sweet plum, fig, cassis, and blackberry characteristics are followed by a full-bodied, gorgeously proportioned wine displaying no evidence of tannin or wood. This beautiful 1997 should hold for another 7-8 years, but there is no reason to defer your gratification.

Veritas Winery, a family business owned by Andrew and Patricia Hodson, opened for business in June 2002; with the help of their daughter Emily they have succeeded in consistently producing a range of complex and elegant wines. The idyllic setting is easy to find but hard to leave, located just off I-64 at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Veritas wines are all unique and of high quality, derived from vitis vinifera with the exception of one French hybrid. Our philosophy is to make wine with the classic, old-style principles of Viticulture and Vinification, at the same time using state of the art technology to capture varietal and regional character.
The blockbuster 2002 Shiraz Hanisch spent 22 months in French and American oak. A limited cuvee of 337 cases from one of the Barossaâ??s most renowned vineyard sites, it possesses a dense purple color, extraordinary richness, an incredible perfume of creosote, blueberries, blackberries, and cassis, and velvety tannin that suggests great ripeness as well as wonderful integration of all its structural components. With full body, stunning depth, a multilayered mouthfeel, tremendous purity, and a 60+ second finish, this unevolved yet accessible Shiraz should hit its prime in 2-3 years, and last for 12-15 or longer. This is a brilliant Barossa Valley Shiraz!

Meats, Beef and Venison