Cape Barren McLaren Vale Old Vines Shiraz 2019
- 94
- $60
- Drink by: 2024-2034
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This wine came from a mix of twenty selected French and American oak hogsheads. Deep maroon in hue, the extra years here have knocked off any edges. Notes of soft chocolate and blackfruits, spices, nutmeg, tobacco leaves and a dusty of cocoa powder. Alluring, seamless and focused, in a linear style. Juicy flavours, fine acidity and well balanced, this is a very fine example of McLaren Vale Shiraz with a decade plus still ahead of it, and room to improve.
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.
