Shiraz Amon Ra, Glaetzer 2006

Deep garnet, the 2006 Amon-Ra opens with a really earthy, meaty and gamey nose scented of slightly burnt toast, tar, licorice and after a few minutes a little menthol. Full and rich, the palate has dried mulberries and spice flavors alongside very crisp acid, medium levels of chewy tannins before finishing long. Drink it now until 2020+.

Amon-Ra has become one of Australia’s icon wines. Made from 100% Shiraz sourced from vineyards ranging in age from 80-120 years and with microscopic yields of 0.5 tons per acre, the 2006 Amon-Ra was aged for 15 months in new French and American oak. The wine is a thick, glass-coating, purple/black in color. The aromas cover a wide range of scents including smoke, vanilla, pepper, Asian spices, coconut, espresso, blueberry, and chocolate. Thick, rich, layered, and complete, this monumental wine offers extraordinary intensity and length. It requires 10-15 years to fully evolve and should easily last through 2040. Hats off to Ben Glaetzer for producing an extraordinary portfolio! The renowned winemaker, Ben Glaetzer, sources all of his fruit for this label from the Ebenezer district in the northern Barossa. Many knowledgeable experts cite this sub-region as the finest in the Valley.

Deep rich crushed blackcurrant colour. Highly perfumed with notes of violets, vanilla, sweet black cherry and peppery spice, but all so intermingled they are hard to separate. This wine is persuasive on the nose – you cannot resist putting it in your mouth once you have breathed it in. And once it is in your mouth, impossible to spit. This is what I call top-of-the range Australian Shiraz. Bursting with dark fruit and yet so well structured and beautifully focused. Savoury dark chocolate tannins, not yet melting but so wonderfully ripe and wth just the right amount of grip to be able to hold the intensely aromatic fruit. Lingering with the same freshness that characterises all these wines. A class apart. 14.5%