The 2008 Marquis Philips Shiraz Integrity (the first since 2003) is also a behemoth at 17.8% alcohol. Black in color, it offers up a superb nose of Asian spices, incense, bacon, lavender, blackberry, and blueberry. Full-bodied, voluptuous, packed and stacked are but a few adjectives that come to mind. On the palate it is dry, rich, long, and pleasure-bent, but there is a bit of heat in the finish. Drink it over the next 8-10 years. With veteran vigneron Chris Ringland now in charge of the winemaking, I can state unequivocally that this is the finest collection of Marquis Philips wines since the label was started in 2000. Nevertheless, these wines will be controversial because all but one of the non-Roogle wines is over 16% alcohol. The small but vocal crowd of Australia bashers will have a field day taking these wines to task as they do with the Mollydooker wines (which seem to sell out anyway). Ringland is concerned about flavor and balance which is what these wines are all about. Those seeking low alcohol, subtlety, and finesse should of course look elsewhere. Those who want a big mouthful of sensual pleasure should read on. The Roogle Series is meant to be a bargain-priced introduction to the Marquis Philips upper level wines. The Marquis Philips wines are predominantly sourced from McLaren Vale while the Roogle wines are multi-regional. Importer: Dan Philips, The Grateful Palate, Oxnard, CA; tel. (805) 278-9095

A barrel sample of the 2007 MP Integrity Shiraz was impressive with its sexy/kinky aromatics featuring smoked meat, game, wild blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. Layered, velvety-textured, and dense, it should evolve for 4-6 years and drink well through 2022. 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

The 2006 Shiraz “Integrity” was tasted from a barrel sample. It was barrel-fermented and will ultimately age for 24 months in new French and American oak. A glass-coating opaque purple, it emits a powerful perfume of cedar, saddle leather, smoke, violets, blueberry and blackberry. Massive and voluptuous in the mouth, it has gobs of spicy blue and black fruits with notes of espresso, mocha, and chocolate emerging for additional complexity. It has well-concealed tannins which will help the wine evolve for 6-8 years. Enjoy it through 2026. R Wines is a new company founded by importer and marketing genius, Dan Philips, along with co-owner, renowned winemaker, Chris Ringland. Winemakers for R Wines are Chris Ringland, Lisa Wetherell, Andrew Hercock, and John Hughes. It encompasses four familiar labels, Marquis Philips, 3 Rings, Roogle, and Bitch, along with 13 others created especially for R Wines. Needless to say, the packaging of these wines is amazingly creative but, more importantly, what is in the bottle consistently over-delivers from low-end to high-end. The Marquis Philips wines have established a six year track record of delivering a big bang for the buck. The wines are now made by a team put together by Dan Philips and Chris Ringland with absolutely no change in quality. Starting with the 2006 vintage, however, all of the fruit is sourced from McLaren Vale. The other change of note is that Merlot has been dropped from the program, primarily because of the difficulty of finding Merlot good enough to merit the M-P label. Importer: Dan Philips, The Grateful Palate, Oxnard, CA; (805) 278-9095

The flagship offering, the 2003 Shiraz Integrity, is a slightly down-sized version of the massive 2002 and 2001. Nevertheless, it is an amazing, modern-styled wine. It boasts a dense purple color, a big, sweet nose of chocolate, espresso roast, blackberries, creme de cassis, Asian spices, and new saddle leather, full body, an opulent texture, and tremendous length. Drink this seductive, rich Shiraz over the next decade.The highly respected South Australian viticulturists/winemakers, Sarah and Sparky Marquis, in partnership with their importer, Dan Philips of the Grateful Palate, successfully launched the inexpensive line of Marquis Philips wines several years ago, creating something of a monster because of their enormous crowd appeal. While 2003 is a lighter vintage than its predecessors, these offerings have turned out nicely. The handful of consumers who deemed 2002 too concentrated for such inexpensive wines will be delighted to learn that the 2003s are slightly lighter, but still loaded with character as well as flavor. They possess heavy duty, exuberant fruit, ripeness, and considerable personality.Importer: Dan Philips, The Grateful Palate, Oxnard, CA; tel. (888) 472-5283