Hart of the Barossa Ye Brave Shiraz 2021
- 95
- $50
- Drink by: 2025-2040
Share
This is the team’s prestige Shiraz from the Barossa, coming from a truly stunning vintage, and the wine more than reflects that. The vines, in the Vine Vale sub-region, were planted as far back as 1903. Inky maroon in colour, the nose exhibits some sweet vanillin notes. There is certainly oak evident here, but it is high quality and integrating extremely well. There are notes of chocolate, coffee beans, mocha, plums, blackberries, licorice and a sweet core of cassis. This is finely balanced with silky tannins and exhibiting excellent length, indeed real persistence while maintaining intensity for the full journey. Delicious drinking but this is a wine which has at least ten to fifteen years ahead of it. A wine worthy of its prestige designation.
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.
