Cape Barren Wines Rare Bird Shiraz 2020
- 94
- $150
- Drink by: 2024-2034
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Each batch of fruit from McLaren Vale spent fifteen days on skins before fermentation in a mix of tank and new and older French and American oak hogsheads, before two years of maturation. An opaque purple colour, there is well integrated oak in evidence here. Notes of chocolate, mulberries, plums and vanilla as well. Rich and generous, the wine exhibits excellent balance and length with plush and rather silky tannins. The palate sees an explosion of rather gorgeous chocolate flavours. Delicious now and for at least the next eight to ten years.
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.
