A puzzling but still very good wine, because Oz Shiraz isn’t supposed to taste like it’s from the Rhone. There’s a lot of black pepper and herbaceousness in this slim-bodied wine. Taut red plum and cherry is at its core, with all the pepper and fresh herb you could hope for. Bag it, and blind-taste it with some friends—not many will guess Australia.——D.T.(9/1/2004)—— 88