Wolf Blass, Shiraz (President's Selection), 2002

From the bottle, the President’s Selection Shiraz is made from select grapes harvested in South Australia. This shiraz is a hefty 15.0 percent alcohol by volume.

Where did I find it: Purchased at Costco

What did I pair it with: A brick of mozzarella

Appearance: Deep red, almost black, with thick legs

Smell: Bouquet of butterscotch, sandalwood, pepper, and smoked meat

Taste: Initial taste of anise and cherries gives way to juicy, jammy tannins and what I can only describe as pot roast – the finish is shorter than I would have liked, ending on a note of freshly ground pepper.

Price: $12.99
Quality rating: 90/100
Value rating: 48.85/60

Takeaway: I love the value plays; I recently purchased several slightly higher-end Australian shirazes from the main producers (Wolf Blass, Jacob’s Creek, Rosemount Estate), hoping to compare to both the lower end and higher end shirazes from the Barossa Valley -- it was better than I was expecting, and now can't wait to try the Gold label. A 90 quality at $12.99 is a buy in my book; a few flaws kept it from getting a higher score, but that didn’t stop us from finishing the bottle!