The 2005 Vintage Fortified Shiraz is young and one-dimensional at the moment. Purchasers would be well advised to cellar it for 10-15 years before trying another bottle. D’Arenberg has been owned and operated by the Osborn family since its inception in 1912. The portfolio, with a focus on Rhone varietals, is wide-ranging and value-oriented from top to bottom.Importer: Gavin Speight, Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 258-9552; www.darenberg.com.au; Also tasted: 2005 The Stump Jump Shiraz (82), 2005 The Custodian Grenache (84), 2005 Sticks and Stones Tempranillo, Grenache, Souzao (84)

For a vintage-style fortified, this wine’s color is appropriately intense and dark, but the tannins are somewhat tame. Hints of mint and chocolate pop up, adding modest complexity, but the bold cassis and plum fruit is framed instead by its crisp acids, suggesting a rather early drinking window, perhaps 2013–2020 or so. ——J.C.(2/1/2011)—— 88