Eight at the Gate Wrattonbully Family Selection Shiraz 2019
- 94
- $48
- Drink by: 2022-2032
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This fine single vineyard Shiraz, which spent 34 months maturing in a mix of new and seasoned French oak hogsheads, is my pick of the ‘Eight at the Gate’ range (the name comes from the fact that at the Lanacoona Estate in Wrattonbully, which is run by two sisters, Jane Richards and Claire Davies, their combined total of eight kids were always hanging off a fence or a gate somewhere). This was my first time tasting the wines from this producer and I was pleasantly impressed with the range – that became less of a surprise when I discovered that the winemaker was Peter Douglas. Peter was the larger than life character in charge of Wynns many years ago, so the quality of these wines is no surprise.
An opaque magenta in colour, there is real concentration here. Black fruits, cassis notes, chocolate, dry herbs, leather, bay leaves and mulberries. A wonderful palate with saturated flavours follows – dense, yet balanced, and even rather elegant in its own way with great focus. Fine tannins provide a long, lingering finish. This will easily give you a good ten years in the cellar – I like this a lot.
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.
