Shiraz is one of the red varietals that seems to emerge a lot from South Africa. After Pinotage it's the next red I tend to think of.
The 2005 Spier Vintage Selection Shiraz is 91% varietal. Smaller lots of Mouvedre (6%) and Viognier 
(3%) are blended in. The suggested retail price is $20 but this wine can be found commonly for closer to $15.
The wines nose opens with tobacco, dark berry and a hint of tar. Decanting this wine is definitely recommended as it takes about an hour or so to really open up. The first sips reveal more berry fruit that become more prominent as the wine opens. Once it does it shows a lot pepper, clove and nutmeg in the mid-palate through the lengthy finish. The 2005 Shiraz from Spier has good acidity. This wine drinks well on it's own but will also match up with a wide array of foods.
While this wine has a lot of fruit this isn't what I would call a "big" Shiraz. In fact it's fair to say this wine is closer to the old word Rhones than it is to it's new world counterparts.
What stood out to me about this wine is that it over delivers in flavor and complexity for it's price point. Decanting this wine really allows it to shine and show it's subtle layers more effectively. This wine has medium tannins and is appropriate for short to mid term aging.
This wine is a good value in the $15 price range.
Up Next: A fourth and final wine from Spier.
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