Ben Glaetzer Amon-Ra Barossa Valley Shiraz 2022
- 96
- $100
- Drink by: 2025-2045
Share
This is truly an iconic wine and a Barossa classic. Again, from the highly regarded Ebenezer sub-region, with the vines between fifty and 130 years of age. The yield is just a derisory two tonnes per hectare. Maturation was for sixteen months in new hogsheads, 95% French and the remainder American. Under cork. The colour here is black as a politician’s heart. There are cigar box notes, chocolate, blackberries, tobacco leaves, mocha, licorice, coffee beans and cold tea. This is supple, seamless and silky, with immaculately integrated oak, focus, serious length, impeccable balance and ideal structure. This is simply stunning and will continue to thrill for the next fifteen to twenty years. There are plenty of more expensive flagship wines from this region that don’t hold a candle to this cracker.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
