The opaque purple-colored 1997 Shiraz Aberfeldy emerges from an old head-pruned vineyard planted in 1904. The wine spends twelve months in new American oak and another year in one-year old American casks. It is an immense, full-bodied, opaque purple-colored Shiraz with gorgeous aromas of licorice, cassis, black cherries, and tar. Massive, with high levels of glycerin that ooze across the palate, this dense, flavorful wine can be drunk now because of its low acidity and sweet tannin, but should become more civilized as well as complex with another 15-18 months of cellaring. Impressive! A Ted Schrauth Selection, Old Vines Australia, imported by Epic Wines, Santa Cruz, CA; tel. (408) 689-9080, and C. Daniele, New York, NY; tel. (212) 534-3421