As mentioned in the review of Benefactor Cellars Chardonnay, red wine is popular from a Halloween (and horror) label perspective.  The last red wine that featured a skeleton label wasn’t particularly promising for Halloween, but everyone knows that  Australia makes some of the best shiraz, and that should be a promising sign with wines like Yellowtail in the same price range.   Sure Benefactor Cellars’ Chardonnay wasn’t particularly good, but Benefactor Cellars Shiraz has to do better, right?

Sight: Moderate red, but on the lighter side, a watch would be visible all the way through:

Smell:  A slightly green note off the top, but there’s a heavy amount of raspberry and black pepper coming up.  There’s a side note of smoke and caramel.

Sip:  Moderate bodied, but slightly on the thin side.  The green note pervades, giving in a decent amount of herbal flavors.   There are some raspberry flavors and a deep amount of smoke.  The smoke hits some black pepper flavors.

Savor:  The ending is deeply tannic, but some subtle berries manage to creep in with a hint of oak.

Benefactor Cellars Shiraz suffers from the same issues as their chardonnay, too much oak, too little fruit, and an astringent body.  The highlights here are minimal, with decent notes of raspberry and smoke, but the pervasive green note doesn’t allow the full ripeness of the fruit through.  While Benefactor Cellars Shiraz is cheaper than many of the other wines this Halloween, it doesn’t necessarily mean more value.

Verdict:  Underripe, Raspberry, Smoke, Tannic
Price: $5.99
South Eastern Australia