2007 Greg Norman Estates Wine; an Australian Shiraz-Cabernet

Greg Norman Scores a Hole in One

Not being a fan of golf, I really had no idea what I was seeing when I grabbed the bottle of Greg Norman Estates 2007 Shiraz-Cabernet from Australia.  All I knew was that I have always enjoyed a Shiraz Cab blend and the other choice was a Chardonnay and while I have been very pleasantly surprised by some lovely Chardonnays, such as the 2007 Cuvaison, if you read here often enough, I am not an overall fan of a Chard.

Tasted on Virtue of being an Australian Shiraz-Cabernet

With visions of past pleasure based on a long running love for Rosemont Estates Shiraz-cab, I ended up opening the bottle last night just in time to watch ABC’s new tearjerker “Find My Family” . If you haven’t watched the show before, just take my word that both wine and a box of tissues are in order.  It was already nine o’clock when I rushed to open the bottle during the promotional music. I gave a quick sniff, found the nose to my liking and watched the show.

Midway, however, the emotional pull of the show actually gave way to the wine.

Greg Norman Shiraz-Cabernet Grabbed My Attention

 Not only did it demand that I pay more attention to what was in my glass, but I was rather pleased to boot.

 For one, if we go on visuals alone, this wine is a knock out. The color is so deep and so rich. Honestly, it’s more the color of raisins, than grapes.  

 And then the taste: fruity and delicious, very ripe and lush. For me there was lots of black cherry, dark overripe plums, and some blackberry for good measure.  I could definitely tasted the spice from the 75% Shiraz, but it was after the silkiness of the first sip.  There is a nice structure represented though the tannins, with an tangy feel that is not overwhelming. Lesser notes of tobacco and then a smooth creaminess that might bespeak of vanilla crème?

 It was after I was done with the show and entranced with the wine, my husband made some comment about golf that at first I took to be another bad Tiger Woods joke. By then, it didn’t matter who had made the wine because I was in love. However, though  it does not happen often, my husband was correct and further poking about proves that this lovely Australian Shiraz- Cabernet is not only well deserving of its 90 point Wine Spectator Rating, but has an interesting story too. From the website:

 “Though Norman is not the winemaker, nor does he own the vineyards that produce the wine, his taste determines the style of every bottling made. Nothing happens without his approval.

In that vein, Norman’s arrangement with Foster’s, the largest wine company in Australia, goes beyond a straightforward licensing deal. Rather than simply sell the winery his celebrity name, Norman negotiated a joint-venture deal so that he would have an equity stake in the wines. He insisted on being involved in tastings and marketing meetings, contributing to decisions right down to the fonts on the label.

“I wanted it to really be my brand,” he says. “I’m not a connoisseur. I’m not a winemaker. But I know what I want for the general public.”

“it was an extension of my lifestyle,” he explains. “But it was also because I am an Australian. As I traveled around the world, it seemed to me the Australian wines were always underestimated. I knew that one thing that would make me proud was to bring Australian wines to America.”

Greg Norman deserves to be proud.

The 2007 Shiraz Cabernet blend is truly delightful.

Along with being packed full of information worth reading about Greg, wine and golf, there are some great looking recipes that indeed have made me hungry. SO make some food, and get a bottle or two of Greg Norman estates wine. It’s also on sale right now at only $9.00 a bottle. Considering that it will cellar nicely over the next 5 years, that a real good investment.

Tags: Australian Shiraz-Cabernet, Greg Norman Estates Wine, Wine from Australia

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 at 7:47 pm and is filed under Shiraz Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post