Winery	Murray Street Vineyards
Region	Barossa Valley, Australia
Vintage	2005
Type	Red
Grape Varietals	Shiraz
Retail Price	$55
Rating	7/10

It was post CNY mood, and my bunch of cousins felt they hadn't had enough boozing. One of them was whining that she had not touch a single drop of alcohol for many moons, now she felt like a failed alcoholic rehab let loose!

In any case, we decided that Demsey would be a good place to start and end the night since we'll practically be spoilt for choices. 5 years ago, I started to frequent this wine haunt. At that time, Dempsey Hill was still pretty much and abandoned and desolated place. Some wine places like came and went  - it was a pity because they stock pretty good wines.

Feeling a little nostalgic, I proposed Wine Network as the place still seems to be beaming with crowd. After some deliberations as no one seem to be able to decide, I took the liberty to exercise my conservative wine choice, a Murray Street Shiraz 2005. I always felt that Shiraz is a robust wine with good medium to full bodied characteristic. The rich aromas and long lingering finish is pleasant for both the  palate of seasoned and novice wine drinker. Couple with the fact that year 2005 has resulted in a great harvestin Barossa Valley, it probably is a good bet.

The Murray Street 2005 Shiraz proved to be a hit amongst us. Fresh smoky nose and leathery initially, this medium bodied wine carries a hint of the star fruit flavour and sweetness in the first mouth, bringing out some tannin and acidity on the front. However, this slowly revealed into layers of nuances the likes of tropical fruits, raisins and dark chocolate flavour, after leaving the wine to breath for a while. Amongst others interesting characteristics we discovered was hint of saltiness reminiscent of the salted vegetable duck soup.

This wine is exciting to drink and every sip holds a little suspense to what we can discover on our taste bud. Although $55 is slightly on the high, we have to bear in mind that the price includes service and corkage since we drink at the outlet. Overall the experience was good less an anti climax when a waiter dropped the bottle down the table when we stopped him from filling our glasses. Wine Network probably has to remind themselves to keep their loyal customers. This was far from some years back when their regular servers could remember my face and give discounts...

 Tasting Notes:

• Fresh smoky nose and leathery initially, this medium bodied wine carries a hint of the star fruit flavour and sweetness in the first mouth, bringing out some tannin and acidity on the front. However, this slowly revealed into layers of nuances the likes of tropical fruits, raisins and dark chocolate flavour, after leaving the wine to breath for a while. Amongst others interesting characteristics was hint of saltiness reminiscent of the salted vegetable duck soup.

Food Pairing:

• Cheese, sausages, pizza. Mutton from the Samy curry further down the hill would be nice. Salted duck sounds good too.     

Drinkability:

• Ready to drink. Can cellar another 2-3 years.

Available At:

• Wine Network