Found this last night and cracked it open. I agree. My research notwithstanding, I don’t think that this is nearly as fruity as an Australian shiraz. With my extremely limited experience and tastings, I would guess that this for me is somewhere in between a Rhône syrah and an Australian shiraz; some fruit, some pepper, a trace of tannin. I liked it, but then again I am no purist.
Still trying to find the past two picks (the Riesling and the Cousino-Macul Sauvignon Gris) while the hot weather is still here.
Picked up the FB Shiraz this afternoon ($7.82 at Spec’s) but I’m going to wait for a day that’s less than 100 degrees to open and enjoy. The rose and whites will continue to be front line selections until then.
I dunno, I usually prefer the whites and such during hot weather, but I paired the Fat Bastard with a Qdoba pork burrito last night (I am nothing if not highbrow! ;)) and it was great. I really enjoyed the soft, slightly earthy flavor. I am not usually a fan of “fruit-forward” or “Parkerized” reds, so this was very nice, even during this time of year. At $9/btl, I will definitely pick this up again. Dense, lush but subtle, and not bopping me over the head with blackberries or whatever. Pretty good for a random choice off the “non-local” wine shelf in Missouri!
I couldn’t find the recommended Baco Noir, or indeed any Baco Noir, and I went to both the good wine shops around here. So I picked up the Fat Bastard Shiraz, which I’ve enjoyed before. It’s a good “utility player” wine – consistently decent. I had it with pasta (and splashed a little in the sauce) and it made for a very nice dinner. I like Shiraz and I like this one particularly, for the money. It’s a red I would pick up if I were having a party, a good red for people who don’t really like heavy reds.
I also enjoyed the Fat Bastard last night, although I usually prefer a bolder red. It was very light and smooth. I found it great to drink on a summer day. I hope we can eventually find a Baco Noir based on Christopher’s descriptions.
We actually ended up with temps in the 80s this evening, grilled some ribeyes and gave the Fat Bastard a whirl. As others have mentioned, not bad, kind of a light tasting red. For equal money on a Shiraz, I would opt for the Black Opal but only because I like it’s darker tones.
Well done to Christopher. I probably wouldn’t have ventured into this without your selection. The more I try, the more I learn.
We had it on Wednesday night with Pan Seared Pork Chops and this delicious orzo recipe that I got from the Food network.
No fruit to speak of and we both found it to be overly acidic with a decidedly bitter finish. It got slightly better once it was open for a while and warmed up but not enough to make either of us feel inclined to purchase it again.
I’m going to check with Total Wine and see if they carry the Baco Noir which I’d love to try.
So, I finally found one of the wines of the week.
It looked a little cloudy. And it had a nice, warm, smell. It tasted like finely ground sand in acid, then there was a bite (is that the peppery part?), and then it lingered. I couldn’t taste any other flavors - definitely not any fruits.
New thread manana.