Brockenchack Great Scott Sparkling Shiraz NV
- 92
- $24
- Drink by: 2021-2026
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This delicious ‘spurgles’ (sparkling Shiraz) has been made as a tribute to Scott Pollock, a beloved member of the family and son-in-law to the owners, Trevor and Marilyn Harch. This was apparently a style much loved by Scott and one suspects that he would have been very happy with this wine. Made from Eden Valley fruit, sourced from a single vineyard, this is excellent value for the style.
It opens with exploding pink foam before subsiding into a lovely crimson note. Hedonistic and plush, there are alluring notes of plums, ripe cherries, dark chocolate, cloves, leather, blackcurrants and red currants; ripe and full-flavoured. There is excellent length here, and balance. Normally, these have reasonable levels of sweetness but here, although there appears to be pleasing fruit sweetness, the fermentation is close to dry. It works. Has been stoppered with a crown seal – expect to see more of this.
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.
