Spotlessly clean bouquet; an intense mix on the palate of herb, grass, asparagus, gooseberry and redcurrant; long carry and finish.
Screwcap. 12.5 alc. RATING 93
Philip Shaw, one of Australia’s leading winemakers and the man behind the Rosemount brand, recently turned his back on the world of big corporations to make wines from his own vineyard in Orange, a few hour’s drive from Sydney. At almost 900 m elevation, the climate there is decidedly cool by Australian standards and the result is this elegant, fresh yet full- flavoured Sauvignon Blanc. An expensive treat for Christmas Day.
The incorrigible Mr Philip Shaw (a kind of Kaiser Soze for the vinous generation) has brought us a range of epic wines from his beloved Orange region of NSW in Australia. They are all collectors’ pieces and very few have found national distribution yet, but they will do – and fast. These wines are unmissable. Remember when you read this and electrocute you taste buds with No. 19.
Fresh melon and asparagus on the nose. Spicy, very ripe palate with melon, ginger, and allspice adding to the complexity. Light to medium bodied with a hint of carbon dioxide fizz. Screw cap. (Serve with) crab salad.
Splash Out
Philip Shaw’s sauvignon blanc from the cool Orange district of New South Wales is up there with Australia’s best. Imbued with herbal undertones and an austere, minerally fruit quality.
Bright and lively, a juicy mouthful of tangerine and nectarine flavours, lingering on the refined finish. 88 points.
This is a wonderfully crisp and elegant sauvignon blanc. Stylistically different from the “fruit salad” sauvignon blancs that are quite common in the market now, but still showing the vibrant, floral and tropical notes typical of the variety, The cool climate allows the fruit to be balanced with a crisp, mineral acidity lacking in other regions.
The Philip Shaw 2005 No. 19 Sauvignon Blanc is crisp, vivid and slightly grassy, with fragrant passion fruit and melon and good length.
Web site: expertwine.com - UK/ International
Matthew Jukes Australian Top 100 Welcome to the third Matthew Jukes 100 Best Australian Wines “hotlist” – the most relevant, bang up to date buyer’s guide to the crème de la crème from Down Under for consumers and trade buyers alike.
The “hotlist” is the result of 12 months of extensive tasting both in Australia and the UK, all of which delivers this exciting line-up of brand new wines, new discoveries and established stars performing at the top of their game.
2005 Philip Shaw No.19 Sauvignon Blanc, Koomooloo Vineyard, Orange, NSW £11.99
He’s back! The incorrigible Mr Shaw had three wines in the long list and this Sauv stormed across the finish line ahead of a Chard and Shiraz. Electrocute your taste buds with No.19.
Australia is our most popular wine country, having overtaken France in the polls.
At this year's Aussie Day tasting there were more new ranges than ever before from established stars and newcomers. Philip Shaw, former chief winemaker at South Australia's Rosemount, has turned his passion to high-altitude vineyard sites in Orange in New South Wales.
Delicious new wine from Koomooloo. 16.5/20
Wine of the Week Philip Shaw Sauvignon Blanc No. 19 2005
Dramatic aroma of grapefruit, gooseberry, and kiwi, with traces of lime and pear. Lilting fruit entry; succulent. The wine’s low pH balances the fruit perfectly. Try with Asian foods, seafood, or just sipping.
Coming from such a renowned winemaker in Philip Shaw, it comes of little surprise the high quality of this new release. Complexity of aromas with primary minerally flinty elements followed by secondary lightly herbaceous character, asparagus notes and gooseberry tinges. A medium dry style of wine with a lean body and a lingering length of finish. Showing off what Sauvignon Blanc is capable of doing especially from the Orange region of Western NSW. Drink now with smoked salmon. Around $25.
Philip Shaw has crafted a very fine chardonnay here. It has aromas of ripe figs and crushed almonds and has fresh, elegant nectarine flavour on the front of the palate. Ruby grapefruit, shortbread and cashew-like oak elements meld perfectly on the middle palate and silky mineral edged acid features at the finish. It's fine drinking now and will reward cellaring.
Ageing: eight years
Rating: *****
A reserved and well balanced chardonnay with plenty of cool area fruit flavour. Recommended.
Cashew and fresh fig wed to a fine backbone of acidity – will develop.
Laurie Daniel - Mercury News US May 3rd 2006
The 2004 No. 11 Chardonnay is ripe yet racy, with sweet pear, a firm core of acid and some oak.
Stylish citrus and cream; but not in any way ponderous. Sort of like refined Puligny with the acid backbone to age at least 5 to 8 more years.
Pale straw yellow - exudes complexity and elegance - minerally and delicately fragrant - lovely white peach - complete with lemon and grapefruit hints, subtle yet persistent - soft - smooth yet with lively mouthfeel - stone fruit - luscious yet still restrained - 5 plus years - have with lobster tails - about $30 - 92/100.
Look out for some exciting 2004s including a striking aromatic Chardonnay, an elegant, intense and individual No 17.
Creamy savoury nose, nicely restrained. Good firm entry, still quite closed, but all there.
Drink now. COMMENDED.
High toned spice, leather and apricot nuances on the bouquet; medium bodied palate with excellent tannin management and good oak.
Screwcap. RATING 92 DRINK 2014 $44
My other 2006 Shiraz favourites are…Shiraz, the $44 Orange-sourced Philip Shaw 2004 No 89 Shiraz.
Full bodied with blackberry jam, chocolate, flowers and pink peppercorns; medium finish (serve with) simple red meat.
At a recent Canberra tasting organised by Andrew Wood, from “Divine” magazine, more than 50 shiraz viogniers were pitted against each other, and the results were quite revealing. By the time all the wines had been evaluated, there was no doubt that “less is more” as far as the shiraz viogniers were concerned. The wines which had larger amounts of Viognier in them were the least impressive: the wines which had the smaller amounts were the most impressive.
The top wine of the while line-up was the brilliant 2004 Philip Shaw No 89 – and it had just one per cent of Viognier in it. It came from the cool Koomooloo Vineyard, near Orange, in NSW, and it had an element of finesse about it which was unmatched by anything else in the room.
The Viognier component manifested itself stylishly and stealthily: the shiraz was appropriately spicy but still rich and ripe. This was a first release under the new Philip Shaw label, and it has guaranteed that all future releases will be keenly anticipated by wine lovers everywhere.
Bright, bordering on bracing, with juicy plum and spice aromas and flavours, not a big wine but immensely satisfying for its generous fruit, hinting at apricot as the finis linge3rs against superfine tannins. 90 points
The nose has a fragrant Viognier lift and a hint of white pepper. Recommended.
Another perfectly balanced wine was Philip Shaw’s Shiraz Viognier from Orange NSW, lush and blackfruited in the Guigal style.
The 2004 No. 89 Shiraz Viognier - there's just 1 percent viognier - displays smoky blackberry and blueberry flavors, juicy acidity, some spice and a long finish. The numbers assigned to each wine refer to significant milestones and people; No. 89, for example, is named for the year in which that shiraz was planted.
This wine has powerful potpourri and cassis aromas. It is dark, dense garnet and has elegant, penetrating blackcurrant flavour on the front palate. This persists on the middle palate, integrating with vanillin oak and gamey, peppery maraschino cherry fruit characters on the middle palate. Smooth dusty tannins come through at the finish. Try it with char grilled kangaroo fillet, rack of lamb or duck a lórange. Ageing: 12 years. Rating 5 stars.
Philip Shaw Shiraz No. 89 2004 – Exceptional.
A dramatic, dark, aromatic wine with wild spice, black cherry, and violet fruit, a trace of black pepper in the finish.
90 Points Philip Shaw #89 Shiraz Viognier 2004
Philip Shaw, the talented, tireless mind behind the winemaking success of Rosemount, is now developing his own venture in the high elevations of Orange, a mountainous district about 170 miles west of Sydney. This first release melds the deep blue fruit of cool-climate shiraz with floral, violet accents from viognier. The fruit carries a honeyed sweetness, then the chunky tannins give it a savoury end, for Mediterranean lamb dishes such as moussaka.
An attractive, well made wine; gentle black and redcurrant fruit; fine tannins and integrated oak. Screwcap. RATING 92 DRINK 2014 $25
****
Rich, spicy chocolate/ mint bouquet with nice cedary toasty characters. Palate shows great structure and is full of chocolaty, blackberry, tobacco flavours. $24
Appealing for its subtlety, with a velvety feel to the sweet leather and berry aromas and flavours, finishing light, with a flavor vaguely reminiscent of oatmeal. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. 88 points.
Anthony Dias Blue US
93 points. From one of the highest, coolest growing regions in Australia, layered flavors that jump out of the glass.
Rich, spicy chocolate/mint bouquet with nice cedary toasty characters. Palate shows great structure and is full of chocolate, blackberry, tobacco flavours. $24, 4 stars
The 2004 No. 17 Merlot Cabernet Franc offers some savory notes along with the bright black cherry, nice spice and firm structure. With 60 percent merlot, it helps validate Shaw's beliefs about Orange merlot.
Aromatic and multi layered, this wine is a showcase for multi varietal blending. It is vivid purple in the glass and has mulberry and forest floor scents. Lifted blackberry flavours zips onto the front of the palate and black olive and Cherry Ripe chocolate fruit characters meld with spicy oak on the middle palate. Minty tannins show at the finish. It would be good with beef and noodle stir fry, pepper steak or veal scaloppini. Ageing 6 years. Rating 4.5 stars.
88 Points Philip Shaw #17 Merlot-Cabernet-Cabernet Franc 2004
A lean, herbal red blend, this has a roasted vegetable savour and a spark of freshness. Decant it for roast beef with roasted peppers.
Philip Shaw Merlot Cabernet Cabernet Franc No. 17 2004 – Exceptional
Distinctive dried herbs of savoury and thyme play tag with cherry and spice aromas. Better in two years. (This superb wine won’t be liked by those who don’t understand varietal intensity).
From Orange NSW comes this fine example with its lifted, spicy/cherry nose as well as its soft fleshy palate of good persistence and slightly savoury finish. Recommended.
Norma Ratcliffe
No distinguishable variety. I think a little bit of age on this wine makes it really attractive. Feels like it has some wood on it. Good texture, good mouth feel. Goes well with the food. Dryness is a good foil for the oil and fatty kelp.
Neil Hadley
Orange appearance. Its nose is somewhat plummy and rather appealing. The palate has fruit and spice which builds to a long, warm, satisfying finish. With the food it is soft, folded and generous. Spicy in the mouth, with the flavours unwrapping and delivering a very satisfying mouthful of wine indeed.
Christian Maier
More browny effect than pink. Savoury, meaty, smoked sausages aroma. Very vibrant palate. Savoury. Clean acid character. A Rosé that for me has all of the right characteristics with a soft peppery edge and fullness. The Rosé the way it should be. Excellent combination with food. Very good intensity and very good freshness that complement the food on different levels and handle the sweetness in the food.
Tony Allen
Deep coloured, traditional Rosé. Concentrated palate and finish. Went well with the food. Cleansed the palate well and lifted the oriental flavours very well.