Bethany GR Barossa Valley Shiraz 2020
- 95
- $125
- Drink by: 2023-2038
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GR stands for Geoff and Robert Schrapel, the fifth generation brothers who founded Bethany in 1981 and who continue to offer fabulous wines with the support of their family. For this, their prestige release, they source fruit from their finest parcels of old bush vines. The oak is mostly French, with a contribution of American and the wine is under cork with 430 dozen bottled. An opaque maroon, the nose gives us chocolate, new leather, cloves, spices, aniseed, soy, black fruits and mushrooms. There are hints of axle grease (despite the connotation, consider this a positive, as part of the complexity of the aromas). Great length here and the balance is never off-kilter, in the least. A sleek texture with good intensity for the full journey where notes of mocha and coffee beans emerge on the palate. This has a good fifteen years ahead, over which time, expect this score to rise.
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.
