To put it simply, I was quite spoiled this weekend. My parents came up for a visit and we decided to spend the evening with Kevan and Judy. Being a special occasion, my dad bought some very nice wine for us to try. One of the many wines we tried (and the best one) was Yalumba's Octavius from 2000. Needless to say, Yalumba always produces excellent wines, and their Octavius is top notch. The Octavius, along with the Reserve, are Yalumba's top wines they offer. Octavius is a Shiraz from Yalumba's Barossa Valley and Eden Valley vineyards. The Barossa and Yalumba in particular, have produced some of Australia's best Shiraz. It is such a privilege to be able to try one of Australia's iconic red wines.
I had the opportunity to try two very nice (and expensive) wines this weekend. The other being Oculus from Mission Hills here is BC. Oculus is a favorite of Kevan and Judy. In both of the bottles I noticed the wines' ability to transcend the fruity and sweet, and oakey and dry barrier. In my limited experience, cheaper wines are either one of the two. The term for this is "complex". And usually you find that more expensive wines are more complex. For the Octavius, this was very apparent. It had an oakey taste that went well with its lighter fruity side. I was surprised how well the two flavors complimented each other. Octavius had a spicy flavor as well in its finish. It had very light tannins-probably the lightest I have tried. The term silky comes to mind trying to define this wine's texture. I had my glass with steak and mushrooms which I quite enjoyed, although this wine certainly doesn't need to be enjoyed with a meal. It can be enjoyed on its own, or with a wide variety of food-Cheese, chocolate, fruit, steak, chicken. Whatever you can throw at it. At $100 per bottle, it is a VERY special treat. Again, I was quite spoiled this weekend.
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