3 Rings Shiraz Barossa Valley 2004

This bottling from 3 Rings got big points from Parker and fits the profile of a Parker-high-scorer:  100 year old vines, massive extraction, body & mouthfeel.   Despite the fact that I do not prefer this style of winemaking, I found the oak to be way out in front of the fruit.    A wine this young should not fall out of balance yet -- but heavy oak (high barrel toast levels and toasted barrel heads) can wreak havoc on good fruit.   This wine also had a sugary aftertaste -- which many of the wines in the tasting showed...   $50; 91 points