The obligatory black staining Shiraz glass-treatment. Geez, I hope I have bleach. Massive eucalyptus and menthol blasts out of the poor glass, a cigar-stick of damning evidence; a pile of ginger-beer and black cherry for probable cause. Dank and dirty while high-noting all that magnificent diesel & dust, the glaring mint briar manages to take the upper hand.
Can you even say Chinaman anymore???? Damn Aussies say anything they want. I said “Damn Canadians” on a post about a 5-year-old skating circles around adults in a hockey game last week and Facebook pulled it for hate-speech.
In the mouth, OH MAN the fruit is even blacker than the view. Chunky and grizzled, more of that beautiful eucalyptus manages to translate to the mouth, a sharp crease of acid swells up from the base, and gobs of disgustingly concentrated fruit clog every pore. Toasted apple-core, squished-ant, and the coddled stew of a thousand berry reductions mingle with far-away caramel and mowed grass but most importantly, the feverish pitch of black walnut hulls and sweet asphalt.
This is a fuckin bruiser–don’t get me wrong. Blasting your face with dense shiraz beauty and leaving you with baby-baby brilliance that reeks tannin and black fruit memories. I’m gonna guess 15-2, and while toasty and peppery, I’m not going to go full-on alcohol burn, anywhere. All in all a nicely made, RIDICULOUSLY SPICY Syrah showing like the absolute INFANT it is.
2018 SERAPHIM WINES Shiraz Chinaman’s Bend VYD Heathcote Australia 15.5
