Hugh Hamilton Pure Black Icon 2017
- 96
- $210
- Drink by: 2022-2037
Share
This is the Hamilton family’s attempt at creating a wine to sit with the very best made in this country. An Icon. The presentation is certainly an impressive start – heavy bottle, big punt, embossed, hand dipped in wax, it certainly looks the goods. It is a barrel selection, with only five barrels making the grade from over four hundred in contention. This is the first release of this wine, as the family was keen to make certain they had a vintage worthy. From McLaren Vale, this is very much a ‘Hamilton’ wine first, the region and then thanks to a rather surprising and curious blend, something which is very much associated with the team. This is a Shiraz Saperavi blend. Saperavi is a full flavoured, powerful red grape from Georgia. The result is delicious and, while it might take a few more vintages before the reputation is fully established, a great start. A dense, opaque black, this is big, bold and powerful with serious concentration throughout. Still very young, with ten to fifteen years ahead of it, we have notes of cloves, black olives, cassis, mocha and cocoa powder, even a lovely gentle note of orange rind weaving about. A seamless and quite luscious palate, right through to a long finish with abundant tannins that are fine and silky. Impressive and likely to be deserving of an even higher score in time.
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.
