Name: Arabella Reserve Shiraz Viognier 2021
Variety: 98% Shiraz, 2% Viognier
Region: Western Cape
Country: South Africa
Year: 2021
Price: $19.99
Winery review (from NakedWines.com): This red is a Reserve-level specialty from father-son winemaking team Stephen and Jamie de Wet, loaded with dark berry and mocha flavors and backed by a touch of peppery spice.
It is wonderful now.
Let it breathe before serving.
My review: Ref. Wine Folly notes pp. 172-173 - Syrah (Shiraz)
I tasted this Arabella right after the Zinfandel in my previous post (after cleansing the palate with some bread), without food. It was certainly milder than the Zinfandel, with less of the bite I mentioned, though I could sense the acidity. However, it was quite dry, as the book notes by listing it on the lowest tier of sweetness. This was the first time I was able to distinguish dryness from acidity in a wine; previously I had thought that they were complementary. Personally I prefer a sweeter wine, but the mildness made this one quite enjoyable nonetheless.
Interestingly, I did not feel the body of the wine strongly, despite its being described as very full-bodied. This is a sense I likely need to develop with experience, but I also wonder if wines simply feel different to different people, to some degree. I did realize that after several sips and some time, the feel of the wine strengthened in my mouth, though this was difficult to quantify.
As far as flavors go, I could catch a hint of tobacco and pepper, but beyond that I did not associate any particular flavors. Overall, I moderately enjoyed this wine and may yet have a glass with dinner tomorrow.
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