I just wanted to start a discussion of one of my favorite Aussie winemakers. In my experience, these are some of the nicest Shirazes year in and year out. Even in these hot hot years, I think they manage to make balanced wines. Sure the style is on the “BIG” end of the scale, but IMHO they are really nice well made wines that work with food.
So take that you anti-flavor elitist!!
Not a fan myself, although I will admit they are better balanced than Mollydooker (perhaps the ultimate left-handed compliment, pun half-intended).
I was a fan several years ago, but my tastes have moved in a different direction in recent years (more toward the old world stylings).
However, I did pull an '04 Angels Share Shiraz from my cellar and take it blind to a tasting a few weeks ago, and that wine really floored us all (Including one person who leans predominately Burg and Bdx and two others with distinctively Pinot-leaning palates) this wine was really showing some funky stuff I’ve never gotten out of an Aussie Shiraz before.
Here are my TN’s
2/12/2010 rated 91 points: My WOTN. Loved this and it was so unlike any other Australian I’ve had, I just couldn’t wrap my mind around it. Nose was a funky Bretty-Barnyardy-rubbery mix that simply worked, had my head in this glass over and over. On the palate, I was having trouble placing the berries, and it had a slightly bitter finish, but not in a bad way. Couldn’t place it; not raspberries, not tar…finally stumbled on TazoBerry Tea. That’s what this screamed to me, that berry tea flavor up front, with the bit of black tea on the finish. I really liked this wine, have several more that I will open 2-3 years.
I think the advantage of tasting this Double Blind (Single blind for me) really helped break pre-conceptions on what people do and don’t like, who knows if my other bottles will be the same, could be High-Oct fruit bombs and this was the outlier.
I enjoy Two Hands also.
It seems to have become fashionable to state that you don’t enjoy drinking big and/or fruity Aussie Shiraz.
I just picked up a 2006 Two Hands Ares.
I grabbed a few 05 Samantha’s Garden a few years back, one left. If there’s a wine that probably committed infantcide with, this is it, amazing wine, wish I had the patience I have with others. It had time left however I always go earlier on Australia for some reason.
I was going to avoid this thread, but time to own up. I’m a fan of the BIG Two Hands wines, the Ares, Aphrodite and one that’s not available in the US, an Amarone which was killer. All these wines are saturated, almost heavy, fruit bombs with finesse, that I like. I also gravitate to the Molly Dooker Boxer, Two Left Feet, Blue Eyed Boy, (all last vintage, major coffee notes). The big robust wines from Two Hands hold up better for aging than many other Aussie FB’s. Point in hand, the Rusden wines. The Black Guts Shiraz was right in my wheel house, but expensive. Bought a bunch, but they stopped selling. Opened one a couple weeks ago to be sure they were holding up and it was a $115.00 bottle of prune juice with 17% alcohol.
Another sleeper is the Two Hands/Bob Eggelhof Two Worlds. Bottled only in magnums, it is a blend of the Ares Shiraz and Bob’s reserve Cab. They don’t sell, but they sure drink well. Just sayin.
I got the 2006 Two Hands Ares at half price. I also recently enjoyed a Shirvington Shiraz.
There are plenty othere excellent well balanced Aussie wines. Like any wine, it also depends on what you’re eating or just the mood you’re in, Aussie Shiraz are my movie wines!
In addition to Shiraz, they make an interesting Moscato (Brilliant Disguise). It is a bit effervescent. Nice on a hot day.
Yay yay! One of my best friends is there now working harvest… he’s encouraging me to come out and work next harvest - can’t say I’m not tempted…
Two Hands is my favorite AU producer, and one of the top five in percentages in my cellar. I like delicious. I definitely do not like all AU wines, but Two Hands is the top of my pile.
I’m also a big fan of the Two Hands wines.
Granted, I wouldn’t want to drink them everyday, but once in a while they hit the spot.
Luckily I have been able to buy enough from close outs or e-mail offers from local wine stores to keep my supply at reasonable levels.
Over the last year I was able to get:
2007 Bella’s Garden Shiraz for $34.99
2007 Gnarly Dudes Shiraz for 19.99
2005 Aerope Grenache for 34.19
2004 Harry & Edwards Garden Shiraz for 28.49
Cliff
Two Hands Napa Cab.
Deal of the century.
I’ve always been a fan of Two Hands. Picked up some of the Garden Series at great pricing earlier this year, as well as Charlie’s Patch (their Napa Cab that I assume Mike is referring to above); shout-out to WTSO on both counts. Haven’t cracked the Charlie’s Patch yet, but now I’m tempted to do so. Am really anxious to see how their style has translated from Australia to Napa.
I tip my hat to these guys. They seem to know what they are doing. Their Aussie wines are quite good. Bella’s Garden consistently top notch. We also like the Lily’s Garden. I’ve had the Moscato and some of the other Garden wines – all good but we seem to gravitate toward Bella and Lily. The impressive thing is that they’ve taken their wares to both Burgundy and Napa. You’ll never mistake Mischief and Mayhem for the top echelon of Burgundy, but they are very solid and priced well. I bought some Charlie’s Patch recently but have yet to try it. Good on them (or is it only Twelftree?) for trying their hand in different wine regions.