The 2007 MP Shiraz 9 was aged for 18 months in a mix of new and used French and American oak barriques and hogsheads. Opaque purple-colored, it delivers an excellent nose of cigar box, spice notes, mineral, blueberry, and blackberry. Full-bodied and firm on the palate, it has excellent depth, enough structure to evolve for several years, and good integration of oak, tannin, and acidity. Drink it from 2010 to 2020. R Wines is the company founded by importer and bacon baron Dan Philips and the veteran vigneron Chris Ringland. It encompasses four familiar labels, Marquis Philips (designated MP in these listings), 3 Rings, Roogle, and Bitch, along with 13 others created especially for R Wines. As is usual for master marketer Philips, the packaging is amazingly creative but, more importantly, the wines consistently over-deliver from low end to high end. The conclusion of this report contains a list of Values $20 and Under. Twenty-four R Wines are noted, many of which offer exceptional bang-for-the buck. What follows are notes are for the R Wines over $20. The rest of the Shiraz were sourced from the highly regarded 60+-year-old Ebenezer vineyards of Adrian Hoffman who is a partner in the venture.Importer: Dan Philips, The Grateful Palate, Oxnard, CA; tel. (805) 278-9095

Fleshy and appealing for its coffee-accented cherry and tobacco flavors, hinting at bacon as the finish lingers against polished tannins. Drink now through 2017. 1,500 cases made.??–HS??Region: Australia / McLaren Vale Select to Add