WINE REVIEW: LINDEMANS BIN 50 SHIRAZ, AND EL BOMBERO RED // FLAVORFUL

Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz is part of the Bin Series from Lindemans South Eastern Australia vineyards. Lindemans was started by Henry Lindeman. He planted the first Shiraz vines in 1843 and after some serious setbacks, finally began exporting wine in 1858. Since 1976, the chief winemaker of the Bin Series has been Wayne Falkenberg.
Fast forward to this review, which is of the 2010 vintage. According to the bottle, Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz can be served “young and fresh.” In other words, no need to cellar this wine. Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz alcohol content 13.5% per the bottle. In the glass, this wine is dark purple in color with a purple ring around the outside. Legs are thin and slow to form, hinting at a lighter red wine. Fragrance of Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz is potent when poured and evident from afar. Most prevalent were notes of blackberry. There was no strong evidence of alcohol in the aroma.

The wine’s flavor was smooth with overtones of ripe plum and dark cherry. Some mellow spice was also noticed. Tannins were quite present and noted on the sides and tip of the tongue. Mouthfeel of Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz was considered woolen, but not off putting. The wine had a long and lingering mouth coating finish. Overall this is a very enjoyable Shiraz. It’s not too complex but it does have a lot of presence. It’s rich and really hits you over the head with its flavor.
I tasted this wine with a friend of mine and he suggested that this wine might go well with a dessert that’s not overly sweet. Like a pastry or non-sugary apple pie.
Price for Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz about $6.00. A good value for a very flavorful wine. Give it a try!

El Bombero 2011 from Spain, is a complex red. I received this wine as part of my Wall Street Journal Wine Club (WSJwine.com) order and it is one of their customer favorites.
El Bombero 2011 comes from 60 year old low yielding Garnacha vines. Alcohol content of El Bombero 2011 is 15% by volume, which is comparatively higher than many of the red wines I’ve previously reviewed.

This wine comes from Spain’s northeastern region of Aragon and is reported to be “home to some of the best value reds in Spain, if not the world,” according to WSJwine.com.”
The appearance of this wine was a deep plum color and had a purple ring evident around the rim of the wine in the glass. Most notable were the legs. Of the 50+ reviews I’ve done so far, this wine was (by far) the most leggy wine I’ve seen. The wine actually had two sets of legs. The first set fell shortly after swirling the wine in the glass. There were many and they were thick. Very slow to fall. After about 20 seconds or so, another set of legs started to descend from the same level in the glass and they were also slow to fall. Very interesting!

Aroma of the El Bombero 2011 was immediately noticed after removing the cork. It was strong and very aromatic. I would describe it as organic and earthy with notes of dark berries and a hint of spice. Also, the wine’s 15% alcohol content by volume was very evident and presented as a notable sting in the nose. That’s a whole lot going on and we haven’t even tasted the wine yet! On the palate the wine was warm, dry and unique. Flavors were of more dark berries and just a little earthy spice. Truthfully, given the heaviness I was expecting from the legs and aroma, I was surprised at how delicate the taste was. I was expecting to be knocked over by fruit but was rewarded with restraint in the wine’s flavors. Tannins were pert and present. I noticed them all over, but a little more so in the cheeks and on the tongue. A little bit of a wool-like mouthfeel, but not off-putting.

The El Bombero 2011 finished long and the alcohol was unexpectedly muted, which was good. Overall I really enjoyed this wine and am looking forward to more experiences with Spanish Garnacha. One of the things I did while tasting this wine was to take in the aroma while swirling the wine in my mouth. This resulted in a very complex and layered tasting experience that was truly enjoyable. Also, I noticed that this wine softened quite a bit after a few minutes of air. This would probably be a great wine to decant before drinking. Lastly, I think this is the perfect wine for someone who likes to pick apart and analyze the different elements in wine. This wine makes it easy to do so. Highly Recommend!

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