Baileys of Glenrowan News & Reviews

Jeremy Oliver - The Australian Wine Annual 2008

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Jeremy Oliver

The Australian Wine Annual 2008

Baileys of Glenrowan

Baileys is a fine example of how a small and relatively idiosyncratic brand of rustic red wines and luscious fortifieds can thrive and prosper in a multinational environment.  Located in the picturesque northeast corner of Victoria, it produces a trio of shirazes, the elder two of which are named according to the age of their vineyards. The common thread is their richness, ripeness and meaty, spicy expression of varietal flavour. Typically firm, often closed in their youth, they open up to reveal generous depth and flavour. In sporting parlance, they're fighting above their weight.

1904 Block Shiraz  2004 vintage

94 points

A sumptuous, long and varietal Shiraz whose deeply spicy, meaty and plummy aromas of small dark berries, cloves and cinnamon are backed by earthy, rustic nuances and hints of white pepper.  Its deeply fruited palate of sweet, dark plums and berries overlies a tight, firm spine of powdery tannins, finishing long and persistent, with lingering sweet fruit and leathery undertones. 

1920s Block Shiraz 2005 vintage

93 points

A natural, stable and well-made wine with a future.  Its smoky fragrance of sweet blackberries, cassis and violets is backed by spicy nuances of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, with a whiff of rosemary.  Sumptuous and deeply concentrated, its thick, full-bodied palate backs its evenly ripened fruit with a firm spine of chalky tannin and meaty, mineral undertones.  Rustic but well crafted, with a touch of attitude.