Château Tanunda 50-Year-Old Vines Shiraz 2023
- 94
- $80
- Drink by: 2025-2040
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The vineyards, situated in the Vine Vale sub-region of the Barossa, which provided the grapes for this delicious old vine Shiraz were all planted prior to 1965. Maturation was in a mix of new and older French oak for a year and a half. There is very much an earthiness to this wine – just the sort of thing which some love and others may be a touch more reticent about. Put it with your finest steak and I doubt there’ll be many complaints. The wine is opaque maroon in colour, while the nose reveals notes of mushrooms, animal skins, blackberries, bay leaves, black cherries and coffee grinds. There is good length and intensity throughout and the palate sees the emergence of chocolate notes. Earthy tannins are evident on the finish. A wine for enjoying over the next fifteen 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.
