Dalwhinnie 1997 Shiraz Nov 04

I wasn't that very impressed with the last bottle of this I tried a year ago, the tannins on that occasion were very pronounced and seemed to be out of wack. The bouquet on this bottle showed earthy musky mushroom, plums, chocolate and menthol that was clean and ripe. The powdery tannins are smooth but a little chewy and attractive, the acid fresh and balanced. The fruit fills the mouth with plum, blackcurrant, chocolate and mint that is not sweet but the wine does have a pleasant touch of sweetness which the tannins dry out on a long persistent finish. Muscular in weight, it is rated as Highly Recommended, its a good but not great Dalwhinnie and good result from a poor vintage. The wine was significantly better with food.