Oliverhill Winery Shiraz McLaren Vale Jimmy Section 2004

The 2002 Shiraz Jimmy Section is a stunningly proportioned, opaque purple-colored offering displaying notes of melted licorice interwoven with creme de cassis and hickory smoke. Layered and chewy, it is the antithesis of wimpy wine. Consume it over the next 10-15 years.

The Jimmy Section was planted in the mid-1970s, so it's a mature vineyard but not one of the grand old dames. It makes beautifully balanced Shiraz, firm in texture, distinctive in flavor, with something reminiscent of apricot skins weaving through the solid blackberry and licorice flavors. It all lingers nicely. Best from 2005 through 2012.

One sexy, concentrated wine. Aromas are rich and perfumed, featuring purple fruit and black pepper at the fore. It's still fairly tannic and young, but in a few years' time the purple fruit and wheat flour flavors will be showing beautifully.

This Australian red from the McLaren Vale is a fruit-driven blockbuster. From low yielding vineyards, it boasts rich and succulent flavors of black raspberry and cassis, chocolate, roast coffee and black pepper. Almost opaque in the glass, it is a huge, multidimensional mouthful of wine with a gorgeous, long finish.

A prodigious, decadently rich effort, Oliverhill's 2003 Shiraz Jimmy Section (15% alcohol) is a 100% Shiraz aged in French oak, of which one-third is new. It offers up a luxurious aromatic display of loamy earth, new saddle leather, blackberry liqueur, charcoal, and barbecue spices. Layered, chewy, full-bodied, and opulent with extravagant richness, sweet, supple tannin, and low acidity, this is a knock-out Shiraz to drink over the next 5-12 years.

Rich, ripe, and dense, with a Port-like feel to the structure and the ripe cherry, berry and licorice flavors that echo on the muscular finish. Still has some charm. Best after 2004.

The outstanding 2004 Shiraz Jimmy Section (100% Shiraz aged in French oak, of which one-third was new) exhibits a big, sweet nose of blackberries, licorice, pepper, and flowers. Itrsquo;s a stacked and packed, opulent, moderately tannic effort with superb density and richness as well as a multidimensional mouthfeel and persistent finish. It should age beautifully for 10ndash;15 years.