Eight at the Gate Family Selection Shiraz 2022
- 94
- $48
- Drink by: 2026-2041
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Any vintage following the brilliant 2021 harvest was always going to have a hard time, but 2022 proved to be another superb year. This wine has several years’ maturation, ensuring it is ready for drinking now. From the Wrattonbully region, maturation is for between two and two and a half years in small format oak barrels, a combination of new and older French, American and Hungarian oak. The core of this wine is a very dark maroon, surrounded by a garnet rim. There is an extra level of finesse and refinement to this wine, providing it with the advantage over the previous vintage, although both are drinking beautifully. We have notes of chocolate, cassis, blackberries and dried herbs. Intensity is maintained throughout this wine, which has very good length and finishes with sleek tannins. Seriously impressive, this will drink for at least the next fifteen years, longer if necessary.
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.
