'01 Rosemount Estate Balmoral Syrah

[newsguy]

came across a bottle of this a few months back at a shop for $40-something. remember how much i enjoyed this bottling at a tasting two years ago, so i snapped this one up.

deep, dark, BIG wine. tons of fruit, with good acidity and fine tannins to give this a nice sense of balance. mulberry, plums and cassis lead the way, backed up by caramel, chocolate and a touch of vanilla. definitely tastes of cool-weather mclaren vale. 15.0 percent alcohol, but not even a touch of heat thanks to the big, beautiful fruit. i expect this will start really singing in '09, and on its 10th birthday might start making the transition toward maturity. it's definitely a joy in its youth, and has serious class. if drinking now, decant for an hour or two. 92+ points.