Magpie Estate, Blacksock Vintage:1998 10% Merlot and 5% Petit

10% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot

sea breeze and quinine

(91-93)/2027+

cool and pretty plum liqueur that is laced with violet and tea nuances

A classy effort that should reward mid to even longer-term cellaring

Magpie Estate, Blacksock Vintage:1998 10% Merlot and 5% PetitThe prodigious 1998 Shiraz Mourvedre Black Sock (80% Shiraz and 20% Mourvedre from 60 100 year old vines) is a blockbuster. Aged for a whopping 30 months in American wood, this opaque purple colored wine offers an almost essence of blackberry and cherry fruit intermixed with earth, leather, charcoal, and new wood. The wine is full bodied, spectacularly concentrated, with multiple levels to its mid palate, and a whoppingly powerful, rich finish. I was