You can’t judge a book by its cover, or can you? The 2013 Small Gully Mr. Blacks Little Book Shiraz implies well guarded secrets known only to the bearer of a “little black book”.
As I cracked the cover (opened the screw cap), poured and pondered, sniffed and swirled, tasted and well, tasted again, I found Mr. Black’s Little Book to be somewhat of an "open book".Small Gully Vineyards is located in the Borossa Valley, one of Australia’s oldest wine growing regions (South Australia) where the signature grape varietal is Shiraz (red wine). Seeing as how this label isn’t listed on their website, I’m guessing this may be one they produce exclusively for Vine Street Imports – just guessing. The name is no doubt a nod to winemaker Stephen Black.
Don’t misunderstand; I wasn’t disappointed, this is a solid offering of Shiraz from this region, full bodied, a bit bold, slightly jammy with notes of blackberry, cedar, leather and black pepper. Perhaps, the only secret Mr. Black holds here is the secret to getting me to take this one from the shelf vs. another – Mr. Black knows the secret to marketing.
We enjoyed this with Roast Beef Sandwiches Au Poivre. For my taste, it was a bit too bold without food. However, my husband really liked it and said to put it on the list for the next trip to the wine shop. He doesn’t often put in requests so when he does I take them to heart.
Maybe, just maybe, this one is more geared for the guys. Which makes me wonder, are their certain wines that appeal more to men than women and vice versa? Care to weigh in on that? Therein may lie a secret for Mr. Blacks little book! To print or save my pairing suggestion, click the link below.
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