Curtis Family Cavaliere McLaren Vale Shiraz 2022
- 94
- $70
- Drink by: 2026-2041
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A wine to honour the current custodians’ great grandfather and his military service in the First World War. Fermentation was in small open fermenters with temperatures kept cooler than we might sometimes see. Maturation is for three years in fine grained French and American oak hogsheads, all of them new. Dark red with a deep garnet rim, the wine still has noticeable oak influence evident, but integration is proceeding well. Quite a big bopper with the aromas weaving through coffee grinds, cloves, chocolate, black fruits, aniseed and delicatessen meats. There is good concentration and this is a powerful style, but it is neatly balanced. On the palate we see the emergence of notes of root vegetables and truffles. There are also still hints of vanilla and oak lingering. The wine has serious persistence and very good length through to satiny tannins. A fifteen-year proposition.
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.
