Well I said I'd report back on the Hart of the Barossa The Brave 2013 and here it is as promised (I've inserted an image of the wine as it might be going back in time a bit for some of our newest members):
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Pulled the corkscrew out and popped it open (yes, that's right it is under cork) FWIW the cork is one piece/natural and appears to be of good quality. Poured a moderate amount into a glass and observed the very deep alizarin crimson hue fading to magenta, certainly quite alluring. The nose, well I picked up black cherry, chinese 5-spice, a hint of vanilla and a hard-to-describe slightly marzipan/medicinal dimension. I had expected the palate to be bigger and bolder than was really the case, a bit of pre-sales hype perhaps? These adjectives come to mind: soft, round, gentle, yielding. Little astringency or oak definition to my tastebuds, the flavours hinted at previously of black cherry and subtle vanilla but really not getting the boldness or robustness indicated by CM. If this has "...all guns blazing" then they're pop-guns rather than 44 Magnums! That isn't to say that it is lacking necessarily. Anyway, a relatively long finish as the shots echo round the room of strawberry ripple ice cream, a teensy bit underwhelming in my book, will revisit it tonight to see how it has fared....
Addendum: had another crack at it tonight and it hasn't grown wings and soared away I'm afraid, OKish, probably only a 90 W&D points from me, I'm curious to hear what others have made of it.
