#teusner

Teusner The Riebke Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2013 $21-$23 Good value

The colour is impressively deep and purple-hued; the bouquet fresh and bright and the palate is smooth and savoury, with ample soft, drying tannins. It’s young, but it offers more interest than the prevailing grapy, fruity styles of young shiraz. Now to eight years. 14.5 per cent alcohol. 89/100 - Huon's Wine 360

Food: barbecued beef sausages

Teusner The Pleasure Garden Shiraz Grenache, Barossa Valley 2012 $15

How on earth Aldi persuaded Teusner to let them sell this wine at this price is puzzling, but it’s one of the bargains of the year. Deep, bright colour; attractive fresh earth, dry spice and walnut aromas lead into a smooth, savoury palate with a fruit-sweet core and gentle, lasting farewell. Now to 12 years. 14.5 per cent alcohol. 92/100 - Huon's Wine 360

Food: grilled lamb cutlets

Teusner The Riebke Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2012 $25

Kym Teusner and his team are regularly producing some of the Barossa’s best reds these days across a plethora of labels. This, their everyday shiraz, is as good as many people’s premium label. The colour is very deep dark red-purple and the aromas of dark chocolate, liquorice and assorted black fruits explode on the bouquet as well as the palate. It’s a big, full-bodied wine, bold and a trifle unsophisticated, but rich as well as savoury with densely packed flavour and abundant powdery fine tannins. It’s terrific value for money. Drink now to 2032. 14.5 per cent alcohol. 93/100 (Huon's Wine 360)

Food: civet of hare, roasted venison, buffalo fillet steak, or any barbecued meats

Stockists: Camperdown Cellars, BWS and Dan Murphy’s

Ranked #4 of 12 2012 Shiraz tasted from Barossa Valley

Winery Rating: 93.4 Weighted average of their top 5 recently tasted wines

Price Rating Map & Vintage Chart: How does this wine fit into the winery’s range?

At least one-fifth of all the Aussie wines that comes through my tasting-room are shiraz, or blends based on shiraz.

It’s not my choice: it’s just the way the Australian wine industry – and, happily, the market is. It would be a chore if there weren’t so many exciting wines among them.

I’ve uploaded more than 90 shiraz reviews this month, and while the usual suspects have done well (eg. Peter Lehmann - tasting, Teusner - tastings, Wirra Wirra - tastings, Elderton - tastings) there are some seriously exciting newer wines you should know about. 

Yarra Valley-based Jamsheed (tastings) has five single region 2012 shirazes, from Great Western, Yarra Valley (two), Pyrenees and Beechworth. Other highlights are Alex Head’s 2012 Barossa shirazes (tastings) under various labels led by The Blond and The Brunette (his nod to Cote Rotie); Kilikanoon (tastings), with a welter of impressive shirazes which are leading the way for prices in the Clare Valley, capped by the $245 Attunga 2010 (96 pts - tasting) and $128 Crowhurst 2010 (95 pts - tasting); also a row of spicy, cool-climate lovelies from Tarrawarra (tastings), Clonakilla (tastings), Mount Avoca (tastings) and Punt Road (tasting).