Shiraz is one of the world’s great red grape varietals. Yet, there are many over cropped, underperforming examples of Australian Shiraz in the market. With that said, I am proud to say that this month’s Primary Red, Berton’s The Black Shiraz, is not one of the underperforming slackers. Although still quite young, Berton’s The Black Shiraz offers plenty of rich varietal fruit, pleasing spice tones, and adequate tannin and structure to improve further in bottle. This wine scores high on my quality/value scale.
Yet, equally impressive is Armandière’s 2008 Ancestral Cahors Malbec, an authentic and traditionally made “black wine” from Cahors – Malbec’s spiritual home. It, too, offers superior quality and value, which makes it my second Top Pick for the month along with Berton’s Shiraz.
However, I can’t overlook Vergenoegd’s 2011 Runner Duck White, another excellent example of how far South Africa has come in producing wines that the rest of the world wants to drink. Runner Duck is a rare blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Colombard. It scored high with our tasting panels both here and in South Africa. I love this wine’s flavor profile, purity, and eminent drinkability.
A Votre Santé!
Don
