Kaesler 2010 Reid's Rasp Barossa Valley Shiraz

It mightn't be enough to persuade Hughesy to change his mind about The Wine Society, but it's enough to prompt second thoughts.

Joining The Wine Society was one of the first things I did after I moved in to the Little House of Concrete, and for quite a while thereafter TWS was the source for much of the wine that's passed over the front door mat, but times change and priorities get reassessed, and the first thing to go was the regular tasting dozen that supplied the basis of the everyday drinking.

Freight free wine clubs and mailing list offers from places we'd visited on trips to Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia, however, provided plenty of alternative sources for both everyday and special occasion drinking.

With a list of places I'm looking to buy from that has sneaked past the two dozen mark, with several others I'd like to add to the list if it was actually possible to do it...

NSW (5): Bloodwood, Helm, Clonakilla, Lark Hill, Lerida Estate
Victoria (4): Tahbilk, Pfeiffer, Baileys of Glenrowan, Brown Brothers (and I'd like to add Dal Zotto, Stanton & Killeen, Chambers and Sam Miranda)
Tasmania (1): Brook Eden
South Australia (9): Rockford, Thorn-Clarke, Grosset, Jim Barry, Pikes, Paulett, kilikanoon, Olssens of Watervale, Mitchell (and Crabtree, Seppeltsfield, Knappstein and Neagles Rock)
Western Australia (7): Lenton Brae, Leeuwin Estate, Voyager Estate, Fermoy Estate, Hay Shed Hill, Stella Bella, Cullen (and Woodlands, Vasse Felix and Cape Mentelle)

and a notional limit of thirty-something dozen a year something had to give, it's quite likely that the TWS Shiraz of the Year dozen is going to have to get the flick.

The tipping point, as it turns out, is the $250/year minimum spend that defines you as an active member of TWS, and while the Shiraz of the Year dozen (it's actually labelled Best in Society) has delivered
Grant Burge 2005 Ethel Nancy Shiraz
Wyndham Estate George Wyndham 2004 Shiraz
Jacobs Creek 2006 Limited Release Shiraz
Mount Langhi Ghiran 2004 Cliff Edge Shiraz

over the past five years, $203.88 isn't quite $250, and while it'd be easy enough to grab another dozen of somthing and pay $7 for freight, that dozen  is a dozen out of thirty-something that I can't buy from….

That's a pity because this years Best in Society Shiraz is, to borrow Danny from Wine Week's terminology, a table-lifter, and it's only a year and a bit old...

Kaesler 2010 Reid's Rasp Barossa Valley/Clare Valley Shiraz (4.5* $16.99) Vibrant crimson with purple tones, soft rounded aromatic peppery elements on the nose that follow through across the palate and linger pleasantly, it will be interesting to see how this one handles a few years bottle age if I can restrain myself from wolfing the rest of the box down. There's a rounded plummy complexity that generates plenty of interest in the mouth, creating a rather enjoyable drinking experience. Can't see stocks of this lasting too long at The Wine Society so I expect that reordering won't be possible.