'03 Small Gully "The Formula" Cab/Shiraz

In Brief:

2003 Small Gully "The Formula" Cabernet/Shiraz ($20, Varsity):
This is a delicious, deep wine, with lush aromas of dark cherry and overripe orange. The shiraz character is present but not dominant. Dark and dense, though medium-bodied, the fruit extract comes through boldly on the palate, and the gently tannic finish has hints of wood. I would have liked more tannins.

Tasting Notes:

We tasted this Cabernet/Shiraz blend at the Blue Point Grill in, thick-rimmed, almost cylindrical glasses, on the smallish side, but larger than Kalluri Corner's. Taking advantage of the screwtop bottle, we gave it a good shake after pouring the first glass, which seemed to open up the wine considerably. The nose was lush and filled with dark cherry and overripe oranges. There were also tones of lighter cherry, in the direction of a candied-cherry-like nose of a Saint-Emilion I tasted once (Jean-Faure '05). The shiraz character was present but not dominant.

On the palate there was an acceptable amount of acidity that did not hinder the big, dark, dense (though not viscous) fruity taste. Slightly spicy on the back of the throat, it had a good finish with woody tannins, though it could have benefited from more tannins to support its big, fruity frame and high alcohol content.

This was a delicious, deep wine, that may have possessed subtleties we missed under less-than-ideal drinking conditions. It paired wonderfully with mussels in white wine sauce and seared tuna, transforming flatteringly for each dish.