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2008 Two Hands "Bella's Garden" Shiraz

     My husband cooked ribs for dinner on Sunday evening so I opened a bottle of 2008 Two Hands "Bella's Garden" Barossa Valley Shiraz.  
     In the glass, the wine was an opaque purple color with pronounced aromas of ripe black fruit dominating with some oak and chocolate. In the mouth, the wine was full-bodied with medium acidity. It had concentrated mixed fruit flavors of dark berries and plums with vanilla and some smokey notes balancing the high alcohol and tannin. It had a slightly spicy, long length finish. Absolutely fantastic with the ribs.
     The "Bella's Garden" was an excellent example of the typically high alcohol, inky mouthfeel, boldly fruity Shiraz that can come from the Barossa Valley. Priced at approximately $60.
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  1. New Hampshire WinemanAugust 15, 2011 at 8:25 AM

    Sandra, I must be missing something; with such a refined palate, with so many posts, and with an amazing talent for writing, where are all the comments?
    It must be that I need to "get a life", but I've been to a 100 blogs, and this one is among the most lively and interesting so far.
    Well all that aside, I think I've commented three times and I don't want to wear-out my welcome, but here is #4.
    I've tried the Bella's 2006 and absolutely loved it (I do have the 2008 & 2009 waiting to taste). I have been working on understanding acidity (The 2006 has 7.2-the 2008 7.1), and how I "naturally" enjoy a wine. I guess my question, if you decide to take it upon yourself to answer, is at what point would you call the acidity level high, and is the perception of that acidity mitigated by other factors such as tannin, fruit, sweetness, or all the above?
    Now I'm supposing that you are a chemist! Sorry, but if you have some thoughts on the subject, I'm all ears.
    Sincerely,
    Dennis

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sandra CrittendenAugust 16, 2011 at 3:34 PM

    Hi Dennis,
    Your comments (and compliments)are always welcome! I would love to have more interaction with my readers on this site. Some people have emailed me or contacted me via Twitter but it definitely limits the opportunity for a group discussion.
    I don't look at the chemical analysis of the acidity of a wine although I know many winery websites often post the exact level. My evaluation of acidity is always based on my personal perception; after a sip, the sides of my tongue may tingle and then how much does my mouth water and how fast does it happen? My judgement from medium to high is just based on my personal experience and perception. I like higher acidity, the flavors stand out more or seem sharper and the palate is more refreshed.
    And yes, perception is affected by sweetness level and mouth drying tannins.

    ReplyDelete
  3. New Hampshire WinemanAugust 16, 2011 at 6:53 PM

    Sandra, thanks for your reply. As a newbie wine taster, I was looking at wines I had scored high, and I began looking to see if there was a common denominator, one of which appeared to be wines over 6.0 acidity (not exclusively).
    One of my favorite bloggers, David Boyer, agrees with you, he likes the higher acidity wines as well; must be something to it!
    Sincerely,
    Dennis

    ReplyDelete

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