The Wise Men of Gotham

I love a wine that has a good story behind its name! This particular wine comes from Southern Australia, while the name originates from a small town called Gotham just outside Nottingham, England.  Most of the stories surrounding Gotham lead us to believe that the whole village was inhabited by idiots.

A certain more “digestible” story iterates that King John was suppose to move into the neighborhood worrying the villagers of  increasing taxes.  So, in order to fool King John, the inhabitants began acting like; well... fools. When some of the Kings men arrived to check the place out, they reported back with some strange stories. Apparently some of the villagers were attempting to drown an eel they claimed was killing their fish.  Others were moving carts of wood to the side of a barn to “shade it from the sun”.  Some were trying to build a fence around a cuckoo bird they’d heard in a bush thinking it would make springtime last longer. In case you were wondering... the bird flew away.  In the end King John decided to move elsewhere and was convinced the village was indeed full of fools. Problem solved! And so arose the names “The Fools of Gotham” or the “The Wise men of Gotham.” Taken from the story above, these guys call themselves "The Wine Men of Gotham." Haha. Get it!? 

Attracting me instantly to this wine was the fantastic label. The 3 men on the front pay homage to the pranksters of Gotham who acted mad to achieve their ends.  It is beautiful vintage-esque art done by John Jewell Design co.  who specialize in wine labels and also based out of Australia. 

Now, as for the wine itself, this was a 2008 Shiraz/Grenache, and spent 18 months in American oak. The colour was a light blueberry, yet a little more strawberry towards the outside edge. The nose was full of dark berries; blueberry, blackberry, black cherries, a bit of raspberry and a slight earthiness. Right away when it hit my mouth all I could think of was eating spoonfuls of warm homemade blackberry jam.  Velvety and smooth on the palate, all around the wine had a very lush taste and feel with dusty tannins. There was a slightly acidic finish but after letting the wine breathe for ½ an hour or so, it balanced out completely and was extremely enjoyable. And the last (or first) thing to love about this wine, it was like $15!  After hearing all that you would have to be a “fool” not to give this wine a try!