Warning: This wine contains 17.7% alcohol. If this is not a problem, then read on because the 2008 Suxx Shiraz was built for pleasure and it is a terrific value. Opaque purple in color, it offers up a fragrant nose of smoked meat, game, violets, incense, and blueberry. Full-bodied, opulent, ripe, and sweetly fruited, this intense, savory, rich effort has exceptional length. Drink it over the next 5-6 years. Importer: Dan Philips, The Grateful Palate, Oxnard, CA; tel. (805) 278-9095

The 2007 Suxx Shiraz spent 12 months in 100% new American oak. Opaque purple-colored, it offers up a complex aromatic array of cigar box, baking spices, black currant, and blueberry compote. Full-bodied on the palate, it is ripe, layered, savory, and beginning to reveal a bit of complexity. Give it 2-3 years of additional cellaring and drink it from 2011 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

According to Dan Philips, the Suxx Shiraz was ?”made to be big, bad, bold, and over the top, designed to offend and indulge and arouse.” Although the label states the wine has 15.9% alcohol, Philips says it may actually be 16.5-17%. The 2006 Suxx Shiraz was aged for 14 months in new French and American oak barriques, and hogsheads of various conditions. Purple-colored, it offers an expressive bouquet of espresso, mocha, licorice, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. Full-bodied, big, fat, and voluptuous in the mouth, all components including the alcohol are well-integrated. Ripe and sweet with a blanket of soft tannins, the wine will evolve for 2-3 years but can be enjoyed now and over the next 10 years. 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 R series features Cabernet Sauvignon from the Barossa and a Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale. The labels portray different takes on the letter “R”. Consumers owe it to themselves to read the witty back labels. 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; tel. (805) 278-9095