Raidis Estate Shiraz: Is it Playing Tricks?

Wine: Raidis Estate “Wild Goat”

Variety: Shiraz

Vintage: 2013

Region: Coonawarra

RRP: $27.00

Hello once again wine lovers. Tonight I back up on the great Cabernet Sauvignon I consumed from this winery, with their Shiraz. The Coonawarra is not well recognised for Shiraz as it is for their Cabernet’s. This wine could be rather interesting in its profile. However, if this wine turns out to be as good as the Cabernet, then we could be in for a hell of a treat from this little known winery. The 2012 Cabernet from this winery was something very special. Now its a year later, the climate from this vintage a little cooler and this is not a Cabernet, but a Shiraz under review.

Colour: Deep Plum.

Aroma: Blackberry, Mint, Liquorice and Cassis. You could mistake it as a Cabernet on Aroma Alone. Traces of Dark Cherry and Vanilla also work through. Cementing a real Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon vibe.

Palate: Medium Bodied with dark black fruits with dominant savoury characters. The mid palate introduces black pepper and soft blackcurrant. There is signs of real herbaceous elements in this wine. A lot more noticeable than fruit, and quite a notable tannin grip as well. The wine is not overly complex, but it is well structured. It lingers off into black olive territory towards the finish. It is a simplistic Shiraz with not too many characters in its story, but it is never-the-less complete in its structure. I was just hoping for a bit more fruit upfront and for it to jostle among the savoury elements that are the forefront of this wine.

It begs the question – “Is this a Cabernet Sauvignon in disguise”? I wouldn’t think you were crazy if you thought so too. The only saving grace that lets the drinker know that it’s a Shiraz, is the black pepper and more spice on the palate (but you might overlook it if you were not looking at the label).  Pepper and spice are quintessentially Shiraz. However, this wine nearly screams out Cabernet all round, and if you were to put this wine up in a blind tasting, you could confuse a hell of a lot of people, and even some of the best wine critics alike . If you took the label off this wine, I would tell you it was a Cabernet and not a Shiraz and would be surprised when I was told otherwise.

Drink: Now to 2025

Rating: 92/100

The SA Wine Guy