St. Hallett Gamekeeper's Reserve 2007

This wine won the Australian "red rhone varietals under £10" trophy at the 2008 Decanter World Wine Awards. It's available in Sainsbury's and Waitrose, so I decided to pick up a bottle to see what all the fuss is about. Annoyingly, I paid £7.99 for it at Sainsbury's, only to find out that it's only £6.99 at Waitrose.

I'm starting to think I don't really like Rhone blends (that includes Chateauneuf-du-Pape). I don't really like the bouquet, it reminds me of cheap wine. I don't know if it's the grenache, or the warmer climates that produce these wines, but I'm usually disappointed. It's almost like the Shiraz/Syrah is being diluted with other varieties to produce a lighter bodied wine.

This wine has its moments though. It's well made, in that it's concentrated and flavourful. I'm also getting some minty, smoky aromas. I was all prepared to slag it off actually, but it has definitely improved in the glass over the past hour, with the powerful Shiraz flavours coming through. It is also keenly priced.

Interestingly, I also picked up a Waitrose own-label Barossa Shiraz, which is also made by St. Hallett. Looking forward to trying that one.

St. Hallett
Gamekeeper's Reserve 2007
Barossa, Australia
Waitrose/Sainsbury's
£6.99/£7.99
3/5