The 2008 Wine Men of Gotham Shiraz/Grenache is 60% Shiraz and 40% Grenache, the Shiraz is sourced from vineyards in Fleurieu Peninsula (south of Adelaide) and McLaren Vale, the Grenache is sourced from the Barossa Valley in Southeast Australia. 95% of the wine was fermented in stainless steel vats, the other 5% is fermented in American oak barrels. The wine was then aged for 18 months, 25% in American oak barrels and the remainder in stainless steel. The alcohol content is 14.2%.
The color is an almost opaque strawberry red with a pale pink halo. The nose is herbal and earthy backed with a bright splash of fresh strawberry. There is a full, velvety mouthfeel, there is a nice mix of savory and lush fruit driven flavors. Blueberry mixed with sauteed mushrooms, raspberries tangled up with bitter chocolate and curry spice with creamy vanilla. The mid-palate adds Red Hots candy (though not that intense) and black cherry. The tannins are buried in the mix and the acidity only reveals itself on the finish. The finish is blueberries in cream and while not particularly strong, manages to stay with you for a while.
The Wine Men of Gotham Shiraz Grenache is an interesting wine for the price range (you should be able to find for around $10 to $12). The Australian wine industry has had struggles for the past few years, over production, a downturn in the global economy and the bankruptcy of one of the major Australian wine producers along with Shiraz/Syrah falling out of favor with wine drinkers has seriously hampered the sales of Australian wine. But, the one thing that has not failed is the quality of Australian wine, their wines always delivered “bang for the buck” and since the downturn the best grapes have become available to more winemakers and the “bang for the buck” quotient has grown. The Wine Men of Gotham Shiraz Grenache is a funky, but fruit driven wine that would pair exceptionally well with roast pork.
