Aussie Wines!

One of my favourite wineries sent me some samples the other day.  They’re under the label Cigale, which is French for cicada.  I haven’t yet worked out why they went with that name, but I’ll let you know as soon as I do.

$20 seems to be the entry-level price point for Barossa Shiraz, and that’s the case with this wine.  Compared to Shiraz from regions other than the Barossa, this punches above its weight in terms of value for money.  Compared to other $20 Shiraz from the Barossa, this is still quite a good wine, relatively elegant without being jammy.  Search a bit and you can find better, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this wine.

Deep purple in colour, indicating a youthful wine.  I find the nose relatively closed and I think decanting would help bring out some of the more subtle elements of the wine.  It’s very easy to drink and quite well balanced, with the 14.6% alcohol not causing any noticeable heat.  A signature perfumed nose from this producer, darker berries, plums and spicy raspberry, it’s a nice drop for the money and a very good Barossa Shiraz for the money.  Look hard and you can find better, but you won’t kick this one out of bed.

90 points