Shiraz, lies and redtape

This is what we drank with Thanksgiving leftovers: Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz 2001 ($25 on release). I like the wine, but the label plays annoying games with the truth.

It's a young-vines wine from Mount Langi Ghiran, whose flagship Shiraz is an old favorite. I picked it because I wanted something juicy, and it delivered, with a lot more complexity and also alcoholic wallop than I had a right to expect.

But what the hell is this wine, exactly?

The back label reads, "The dramatic 'Cliff Edge' vineyard was selected as a future source for the internationally acclaimed 'Langi Shiraz.' The complex wine is a blend of fruit from our selected regional and Cliff Edge vineyards, where a unique 28 acre net soars over this special parcel of grapes protecting them from the elements of this ancient land."

The runon sentence is trying to disguise the fact that this is not a single-vineyard wine. I read "selected regional" so I scoured the bottle for an appellation. I *think* it's Victoria: the word is written in small type just above "Produce of Australia" and "Alc 15.0% by Vol." But who knows: maybe that's just where they bottled it.

I had to read the description more than once to understand: there's a 28-acre net, over a new vineyard. Some grapes from that vineyard went into this wine, but probably it's less than 50%.

The side label reads, "The granite cliffs of Mount Langi Ghiran tower over our vineyards in the Grampions region of Victoria."

Parse that for a sec: The winery owns vineyards in Grampions, but does this wine come from there? Gloria Ferrer owns vineyards in Spain; that doesn't make its Sonoma bubbly "cava."

Anyway, my irritation at the Rovian label doesn't diminish my appreciation for the wine. Aromas of rich blackberry, blackberry liqueur, graphite, black licorice, vanilla, dried cherry and leather. On the palate, plenty of fruit -- juicy, generous blackberry and mulberry with a solid line of acidity and a streak of graphite down the center of the tongue. It finishes long and strong. Doesn't taste hot, despite the 15.0% alcohol.

In Sept. 2004, Harvey Steiman of Wine Spectator gave it 90 points, writing, "Bright and lively, with a juicy core of blueberry and mulberry fruit at the center, shaded with white and black peppercorn aromas and racy acidity that adds an almost citrusy note as the flavors linger. Drink now through 2010. 7,000 cases made."

I can see that. It's a little richer now, with more complexity in the aroma, and the "racy acidity" has kept it fresh. I would extend its expiration date for some years, depending on how you like your Shiraz. It is drinking great right now, but seems like it might also be enjoyable in 2015.

Maybe by then they'll admit its provenance.