The Patriarch Shiraz 2015 is just yum

Coming off a weekend of wine I realised we bought a fair few bottles but didn’t do much drinking of any! Don’t get me wrong, we drunk plenty of wine! But when we stumbled back home after a day of serious wine tasting business we stuck to the water. That is, at least until dinner! But it meant when I sat down to do a wine review this week I didn’t actually have any McLaren Vale wines to bring to you just yet. Lucky I had one from Clare Valley in the archive that I hadn’t reviewed yet – The Patriarch Shiraz 2015.

We had a lot of Shiraz over our weekend in McLaren Vale. It is one of the wines that my partner and I really differ on. He loves bold and heavy Shiraz with a lot of pepper, but I prefer more fruit-driven easier-drinking Shiraz. Shiraz in Australia has a bit of a reputation for being bold, thanks to the flavours of the Barossa and the Hunter Valley. But for those of you who like something a little less heavy, there are more regions jumping on the Shiraz train and producing some cracking wines that aren’t so heavy hitting. Yay for us!

I should preface this review by saying if you like bold Shiraz, you can rest assured my partner loved this wine too. It just wasn’t as bold and heavy as he usually likes.

The Patriarch Shiraz 2015 is perfect for a cozy night in

We enjoyed The Patriarch Shiraz 2015 on a cooler winter evening when we settled in for a show or two on Netflix. It was one of those wines we’ve had in our drinking wines for a while, but didn’t get to. I love these ones as I stumble upon them and wonder how on Earth we’ve managed to avoid drinking them for so long. It was the perfect find on a cooler night when all you want to do is crack open a bottle and enjoy some takeout on the couch. This tends to be our usual Sunday night thing, so to have a great wine to enjoy it with is a serious bonus!

What interested me about this wine initially was that it was from the Clare Valley. The Clare Valley is famous for Riesling, so you don’t really hear much else about the other wines they offer. Shiraz usually comes from the regions of the Barossa and Hunter Valley, so to find one from an unusual region had me so excited to give it a go. And what we were rewarded with was an absolutely delicious wine to go with our dumplings! Ok so not the best food pairing, but when you’ve got a good bottle of red open and a dumpling craving, you have to go with it.

Why I loved it

The Patriarch Shiraz 2015 was just a plain delicious wine. From first pouring it into a glass and seeing the bright colour to the aroma. It was incredibly rich on the nose, with notes of blackberry, cedar and vanilla. It smelt like it was going to pack a punch, but in a delicious way!

What I absolutely loved about this wine was the flavour. It was halfway between a medium and heavy-bodied wine, but not overpowering. I think this was because of the great balance of flavour. It started really juicy with plum and red fruit, then really softened out with oak flavours at the end. A bit of sweetness from vanilla again, and also a hint of spice. Not pepper though, more like cloves.

The Patriarch Shiraz 2015 lingered in your mouth but had very smooth tannins, meaning it was not heavy hitting like a Barossa Shiraz. It had a real softness and was quite plush at the back, rounding it off beautifully. This was definitely my favourite part about the wine, as it didn’t end with too much of a punch.

What to enjoy it with

I have to say, I would drink this wine with anything. I loved it so much I would not be picky, and I have to tell you I enjoyed it with our Sunday night dumplings. That being said, I was probably just enjoying the fact I was eating dumplings and also drinking good wine more than anything.

If you’re looking for an actual food pairing, meat is the way to go. This wine would be a great BBQ wine with a delicious steak or lamb. You could also pair it with a cheese platter, especially if there was some smokey cheddar on there. Just don’t go too heavy or rich with your food pairing. The Patriarch Shiraz 2015 is a lot softer than a heavy Shiraz, so won’t cut through fat as much as other wines.

Overall though: couch, good company, a nice big glass and some tasty food. You’ll be sorted with that combo and The Patriarch Shiraz 2015.

The final word on The Patriarch Shiraz 2015

The Patriarch Shiraz 2015 was a great find in our drinking wines. Perfect for a Sunday night spent on the couch, with or without food. What I loved about this wine so much was the balance of flavours and that it wasn’t as heavy as some of the more well-known Australian Shiraz wines. If you are a lover of heavy Shiraz, however, I think you’ll still enjoy this one. The fruit-driven front followed by oak flavours and spice to round it off made for an enjoyable drop.

However, the real kicker is that it is less than $20 a bottle. Turns out you can get some great Shiraz without spending up big! I don’t know what else to tell you, this wine ticks all the boxes for me. The only one it isn’t ticking is that I have no more left in my wine room!