The Gosling Shiraz 2006

Inky black with crimson hues, the 2006 Gosling Shiraz offers a deep, dark, brooding nose with traces of smoke, charcoal and cedar giving way to a core of wild currants, crème de cassis, dried meats and roasted herbs. 
The full bodied palate is well delineated and loaded with rich black fruits, mocha roast, kirsch and subtle hints of silken French oak.
Velvety tannins and low acidity ensure a long, cuddly, sofa-like finish making the wine thoroughly enjoyable in its youth and ideally suited to a cool winters evening and a generous serve of game.
Screwcap Closure

Goose-yard Block Shiraz 2006

Possessing a dense, saturated black/crimson hue the 2006 Goose-yard Block Shiraz displays the concentration, poise and elegance that only the greatest of terroirs can achieve.
This wine has weight; its finesse and intent are both immediately apparent with delicate scents of wild blackberries, acacia flowers, slate and vanilla bean all contributing their subtle nuances.
The palate offers tremendous texture and combines glorious fruit purity with subtle notes of saddle leather, baked earth, melted liquorice and white truffles. Multi-dimensional and incredibly intricate the wine finishes with a cloak of beautifully ripe tannins that seem as comfortable and pure as a handshake with Steve Schubert himself. This stylish wine will undoubtedly reward those with patience.
Cork Closure

Schubert Estate 2006 The Lone Goose Shiraz April 08 is sealed under screwcap. This is the second time I have reviewed this wine. When it arrived with the other Schubert 2006 samples, I had forgotten I had already tried it about six months ago. It has opened up significantly and become more approachable in that time. It has also put on weight. The bouquet shows dark berry fruit, milk chocolate, and smoky oak and sweet apricot. Silky, unobtrusive tannins combine with fresh acid and deeply-seated fruit to form a muscular-weight, supple wine with a solid structure and an agreeable complexity. It has loads of flavour intensity that is sweet on the uptake, turning savoury immediately, but there is a little sweetness intermingled in the complete profile. Plum, pepper, apricots, dried herb and chocolate flavours finish with good length and persistence. Rated as Recommended with **** for value its approachable now with a quick decant, and should be good for another six years. There is nothing subtle about this wine, but it's big and cuddly and typical for a big Barossan Shiraz.

Schubert Estate 2006 The Gosling April 08 is sealed under screwcap. The bouquet is brooding; it's desperately trying to deeply hide its black/blue berry characters, cedar and wood shavings, and meaty notes. Very smooth powdery tannins are unobtrusive, but they are well and truly there, and solidly back this ample-weight, tight wine. The supple consistency is attractive, as is the flavour profile. The pure fruit is primarily off sweet but there are some hints of sweetness below. Blackberry, dark chocolate and prune flavours are complemented by the judicious use of coffee oak. It's a well-made, fault-free, clean wine, and whilst it's approachable now, it will improve in the short term. Rated as Recommended with **** for value, the rating should improve as the wine enters its peak drinking window. It's more subtle than the Lone Goose. Ric Einstein 2008

Schubert Estate 2006 Goose-Yard Block Shiraz April 08 is sealed under cork. The bouquet is delightful showing floral, clean perfumed fruit with hints of spice and smoky oak. The almost silky, tightly-knit, powdery tannins combine with youthful acid and pure, deeply-seated fruit to produce an ample-weight wine with a supple consistency that has a harmonious complexity already, and should become seamless in time. Plum, cherry, mocha, cedar, black pepper, and coffee flavours have a touch of sweetness, but the wine finishes clean, dry and with good length. A wine of some class, it should be a damn fine when it reaches its peak between 2013 and 2020; it’s rated as Excellent with *** for value and the rating may increase as it matures. It’s also surprisingly food friendly and went brilliantly with angel hair pasta and a bolognaise sauce. A clean and modern Oz wine, but unlike many wines with that description, its far from boring and has character. Reviewed by Ric Einstein 2008 wwwtorbwine.com