2004 Shiraz/Viognier, Hobbs
Barossa Valley, Australia
Hobbs’ 2004 Shiraz/Viognier is Barossa richness with a lifted, perfumed twist. Now mature, it opens with blackberry, plum, black cherry and crème de cassis, layered with violet, apricot skin, dark chocolate, cigar box, fennel, aniseed, pepper and black truffle. It is powerful, unmistakably Barossa, but the small touch of Viognier gives the wine a floral, exotic edge.
On the palate, it is full-bodied, mouthcoating and deeply flavoured, with dark fruit, spice and polished oak wrapped into a smooth, silky finish. The tannins have softened with age, letting the wine’s mature savoury detail come forward: leather, cocoa, warm earth, smoked spice and sweet black fruit. Drink now, ideally with a careful decant for sediment and a glass big enough to let it stretch.
For when
A winter dinner needs something bold, mature and properly indulgent.
Pairs with
Rib of beef, slow-cooked lamb shoulder, venison, beef short rib, barbecued brisket, mushroom ragù, aged cheddar or dark chocolate with sea salt.
Hobbs is a small Barossa Ranges estate with a serious old-vine heart, based high above Flaxmans Valley near Angaston. The Shiraz for this bottling was planted from cuttings taken from the estate’s old vines, then hand-pruned, hand-picked and co-fermented with a small amount of estate Viognier before extended ageing in new French oak hogsheads. Made in tiny quantities, it captures the Hobbs style at its most opulent: old-school Barossa power, polished by care, perfume and time.
Whats in the bottle
Shiraz with a splash of Viognier