Peter Howland Parsons Vineyard Shiraz 2005 Wednesday, Jun 4 2008
Tasting Notes and Australia and Frankland River and Variety and Red and shiraz et al
When Shiraz from the Great Southern region in WA is good, it’s very very good and this wine is all that and a bag of chips.
It offers a riot of smells that shift and mesmerise as you sniff the glass - rubbed fresh lavender, eucalypt, ground spices, black pepper, blackberry, dark cherry and star anise all jumbled together in a spicy fragrant heap. On the palate medium to full bodied yet powerful with a big spread of firm ripe tannin and layers of flavour - chocolate, pepper, black fruit and spice that run out onto a big tannic finish. It’s tight and fairly closed right now but careful (and very enjoyable) tasting over a couple of days allowed the wine to open up and fill out. It’s a wine of impact, exotic dark spiciness and considerable seductive power.
Rated : 96 Points
Tasted : Jun08
Alcohol : 14.6%
Price : $35
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2010 - 2020+
Source : Winery Sample
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15 Responses to “Peter Howland Parsons Vineyard Shiraz 2005”
June 4th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Big call GW, then JH rated the 04 95pts. The beefcake crusher on the homepage of the site is a bit off-putting but I’m considering getting a few of this one, based on your notes and those of JH’s on the 04.
June 5th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Well I don’t think you’d be disappointed if you did..just give it a few hours in a decanter if drinking it young.
GW
July 10th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
The three PH 2005 Shiraz are now available from Get Wines Direct for $19.95.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
F*ck me dead..
GW
July 10th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
GWD had them before, then they must have sold out. Now theyre back!
6 x Parsons, 4 x Pine Lodge and 2 x Langley coming my way now..
Good opportunity for a palate calibration with GW
:)
July 10th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Got the GWD email today. After re-reading your reviews GW, at the price I couldn’t resist hammering the plastic again to order 4xParsons, 4xPine Lodge and, to fill out the dozen/add some interest, 4xViking Grand Shiraz 06(haven’t tried their wines before due to the rrp). I’ve been buying shitloads of shiraz lately.
Still think the Howland website is gauche, if not gross.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:19 am
Your a man of fine tastes daz as i purchased that same dozen from GWD earlier this evening.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:05 am
MichaelT said :
Just take 3-4 points off each score.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:08 am
daz said :
daz, that’s because you won’t find shiraz as good as these for $20 anywhere else in the world.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:26 am
My use of points is pretty much inline with Halliday, Mattinson, Stock and Oliver (although I don’t go to his extremes). I generally prefer to only review the wines that are interesting, likely to be purchased (banana skins), or that I like. The wine above is outstanding.
GW
July 11th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Gary Walsh said :
Yeah, I take 3-4 points off Halliday scores too.
I agree the Parsons (and the other two) are very good wines, no argument there, I’d probably buy some if I hadn’t bought too much already this month and last month and the month before. Too many good wines to cope with and I’m not being too successful in getting my cabernet numbers up to where I want them to be.
July 11th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Even though there is a difference in style - pound for pound which would say is the better buy between these and the Viking 06?
July 11th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Michael, It depends on your personal preferences. Personally I think I would probably get a different answer every time I tried them, the PH wines are all different amongst themselves and different to the richer, silkier, oakier Viking. It would depend on mood and food, they are all excellent wines and a complete bargain at the $20 price, I’d be happy to drink any of them at any time.
What fool ever said all Aus Shiraz tastes the same?
July 12th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Well with Australian shiraz being my favourite beverage I don’t think I went wrong with these purchases.
Wish I could say the same about spending big bucks exploring Burgundies while in Hong Kong earlier this year… *ok a bit of a topic drift but I’m still cut about it*
July 12th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Pay your money and you can be pretty sure of getting an enjoyable, if not excellent, Australian Shiraz. It’s not the same with Burgundy. You need to know a bit, do your research and reading, lots of tasting and more often than not burn some dollars in the process. And most of the top burgundies from good vintages are usually not sitting on the shelves of bottle shops for long - they get snapped up on release.
GW