Henry’s Drive and Cape Mentelle

Last week, I had the pleasure of having two great red wines – both Shiraz – while dining out in Singapore.

The first one was Henry’s Drive Dead Letter Office Shiraz 2006. I selected this wine because of two reasons – I had known Henry’s Drive wines for a fairly long time (atleast 8 years if my memory serves me right), and secondly, this Shiraz was the only Henry’s Drive wine available at the restaurant ! I guessed that it must be a good Shiraz coming from the famous winemaker. I was proved absoutely right.

The HDDLO Shiraz 2006 was a great selection – my description of its taste is as follows : intense wine with coffee and caramel aromas, dark red/black colour, chewy taste with plum fruit on the palate, delicious……wow, absolutely delicious. I thought I detected something chocolatey as well, but not sure, need to try one more bottle ! I am not that technical to describe more here, but this is a wine you should not miss, though it is a bit pricey. Drink it in Australia or the U.S., where it is likely to be much cheaper than it is in a Singapore restaurant.

The second bottle that I ordered was the Cape Mentelle Shiraz 2006. Again this was a great selection. This wine has a dark purple colour, it is intense, and has kind of thick chocolate taste. It stings a bit, so I guess it is peppery. The thick fruity taste resembles the HDDLO Shiraz. Again, a great wine from Margaret River. Price is close to the HDDLO Shiraz.

It is a great sensation to have one great Shiraz glass of wine for the evening. Having two of the best Shiraz wines is surely a reward. I would strongly recommend both wines. These wines are easy to drink for the beginners as well.

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
31st October 2009
Mumbai