Double Blind Tasting - 2009 Cookoothama Shiraz: Aussie Shiraz That Doesn't Taste Like Aussie Shiraz

Pronounced "Cooka-a-tharma" according to the back of the bottle of this Australian Shiraz from the Nugan Estate Winery was a gift that we didn't see beforehand so we decided to taste it double blind.

The wine smelled familiar for sure, with lots of oak and was very fruit forward right up to the point of being jammy with a touch of nutmeg or chinese five spice but it it did not smell that sweet at all (kind of counter-intuitive, we know). 

It was dark in the glass but not black or inky dark so we started ruling out the Malbecs and the Pinot Noirs.  It had a deep red colour so we immediately started leaning toward California cab given the nose. 

Once we tasted it we started to dial in on Cab or maybe Tempranillo.  We dialed into those more than Shiraz and so we were off on the wrong foot already.  But that said it tasted fantastic.

We continued to smell and taste and smell and taste until finally we proclaimed with no certainty at all that this must be California Cab.....and as you already know...WRONG!

The blind tasting stuff can be some confusing and we totally rejected any gut feeling we had with the jammy nose especially once we tasted it.  If you taste it quickly it absolutely does not remind you of Aussie Shiraz.  That sugar on the front end of the palate is so darn quick, it comes and goes in an instant.  Once you take your time with it, you can definitely tell it is there but even then the oak and the fruit are in balance and nowhere near as jammy as most of the recent Shiraz we have had from Australia (good on ya Nugan Estates....good on ya).

Overall, this is a very nice Shiraz unless you want a super jammy fruit bomb and if so (first question why?) then this is not the Shiraz for you.  If you like a full bodied and fairly balanced (though somewhat thin) Shiraz you might just like this and at $16 locally you might even love it.

	Tasting Notes:	Score:
Sight (0-5)	Deep red, looked like a Cab but wasn't.	4.0
Smell (0-5)	Oak and ripe fruit with a jammy edge that was pleasing.  Nutmeg or Chinese five spice in the mix as well	4.0
Taste (0-10)	Super quick hit of sweetness followed by a full-bodied (though slightly thin) wine that had lots of berry fruit and good tannins.	8.0
	Total:	16.0 / 20  (80%)

This is worth a look-see or a 'ganda' (if you're Australian).

Keep on drinking!

Chris & Shannon