Review Greenock Creek Apricot Block Shiraz 1999

93 points

I wondered before opening this wine, whether it would be too young, but the vineyard is fairly young and I figured maybe it wouldn’t age as well. The wine did not disappoint. It was still very youthful, with a whiff of deep red fruits and a bit of tar on the nose and still quite drying tannins at the end of a medium long complex palate. The only flaw I felt was the slight overabundance of American oak, but Janet really liked the oak and the extra complexity it added. I certainly am not criticizing, because the length and depth of fruit could handle it, but my preference would be for a little less.

Greenock Creek is a true estate winery with all their vineyards within eyesight of the winery. Their style is definitely one for age worthy wines, with high alcohol, big fruit, well-balanced tannins in typical Barossa style. The wine is not over the top as some other Barossa wines are. The tannins seem more complex and the fruit still fresh and not cooked tasting. I have a few more bottles and I think I’ll wait at least 2 more years before trying the next one.