Benefactor Cellars Shiraz (2011)

Alright, I admit it. I chose this wine based upon the label, so shoot me.  I honestly don't see anything wrong with that.  In my opinion, winemaker's who decide to put their heart and soul into a label will probably also put their heart and soul into the wine.  I've noticed that many wineries tend to go for plain white labels as they get bigger, and I was told this was because it stands out better on the shelf.  I absolutely hate this practice.  I have seen wineries ditch their beautiful labels from the 90's and early 00's in favor of a plain white label, and its so sad. You won't see me buying any wine like that.  I value the artistic side of wine, and so yes, I can honestly and proudly say the label means a lot to me :)

Winemaker's Description: "There are those who have mourned your passing with many a tear, many a boo hoo. But we celebrate the generosity of your death.  Those wines which once taunted us from beyond our price range now pour happily - affordably, deliciously, attainably - into our glasses, thanks to you.  A toast to failed predictions! To bloated, insupportable markets! Here's to the benefactor!"

Overall Impression
At first, I was slightly disappointed with this wine.  I love Shiraz, but this hit me hard for some reason (its very heavy).  However, I started swishing it around on my tongue and taking a few more sips.  It was not a bad wine, it just took some time to get used to and appreciate.  I can see this wine doing a lot better if I had let it breathe.  We drank the whole bottle, so it obviously wasn't bad :) Just make sure that you truly enjoy dark, heavy wines! I also ended up eating a little chocolate with it, and it went down even better. Pick this up for around $5 at Trader Joe's!

Alcohol by Volume: 13%

Color
Deep burgundy, very dark.

Aroma
Musty and heavy. Very typical Shiraz.

Viscosity
Big legs, sticks to glass and slowly runs down.

Flavor
Sharp and spicy in flavor, sticks to the tongue.  Tastes as musty as it smells.  Dark, heavy flavors of blackberry, at times a bit citrusy. An almost bitter after taste lingers, but it isn't unpleasant.  I would not recommend this wine to light wine drinkers; you have to really like very dark wines.  After drinking more of this, I would say that it goes down smooth, and as you swish it around your tongue it becomes more heavy.  I enjoyed it the more I drank it (I guess that is to be expected :P ).