Friday 15 June 2012

Black, black and more black...

Looking at my blog photo, you can probably tell my hair colour is black.  As I sit penning this blog post, there is currently black dye in my hair to keep it that way - black.  That being said, I thought to myself: "why not sip a glass of Mr. Black's Little Book while you wait for your hair to work its magic?"

I had the opportunity to taste this wine at an open house held at my local wine store.  Yes, the same local wine store that I frequent quite often for both tastings and purchasing.  Of course, the whole reason why I wanted to try it because it was an Australian Shiraz.  Yes, I am a "New World" wine girl, and I'm not afraid to say it out loud!  And I am particularly fond of Shiraz...GOOD Shiraz.  First of all, the wine looks black, the label is black, and the name of the wine has the word black in it.  I was further intrigued by the description on the back of the bottle.  You can see it in the photo here, but if you can't read it, let me help you out:




"They say 'don't judge a book by its cover', so open a bottle of Mr. Black's Little Book and pour over his formulae, mixtures and little secrets"

Ooo...that DOES sound intriguing doesn't it?!  I'm not gonna lie:  this wine has some bite to it.  At 15.2% alcohol, that's no surprise.  And the Australians are allowed to...ahem...downgrade the alcohol level, so it's likely even higher!  Don't let that scare you though!  There are some nice chocolate notes on the nose, along with some black fruits, and that ever so subtle hint of eucalyptus.  Lots more black fruits, and black pepper in my mouth.  And it's a 2008, only four years old, also from the Barossa Valley, so I bet it would age a little longer.  Just sayin'... 



But wait a minute...is there a recurring theme of black here?  Funny you should ask. The winemaker is Mr. Robert Black, and he also has another great wine out there:  Mr. Black.s Concoction.  A blend of 4% Viognier, and 96% Shiraz.  Another curious, bold wine that offers lots of black.

So what is the little secret inside this wine?  Well...try it for yourself and maybe you'll find out. And at 20 bucks a bottle, it's not too much to try it a few times to figure it out.


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