96 Elderton Barossa
Powerful nose of cedar. There is much debate between wine drinkers over Shiraz vs. Syrah. We've all heard the classic story of the little $10 Shiraz rating higher than the $50 La Chapelle. And you believed it. HA! Well, this wine has all the concentration that a hot Aussie climate can bring. It's just that to me, it's kind of a weird flavor, almost too much flavor if that's possible. Kind of like the taste of whole blood, or the entire world. And what of the tannins? Well, there aren't any. A lush red wine without tannins? It's like a really comfortable, but dumb looking sofa. $23 8/99

NV Campbell’s Muscat
Strong flavor. Apparently these Muscat’s will last for a while (several years?) but aren’t expected to evolve/improve so much with prolonged cellaring. Probably why it’s only $17 for the ½ bottle. Not that cheap actually, but it was pretty good. I don’t know about 95 pts (RP), maybe 93. It’s very sweet, and yet not at all cloying, which is a pretty good pickup for this price. Cost $17 (worth $18). 6/05