Purple Hands Thomas Rise Barossa Valley Shiraz 2022
- 94
- $70
- Drink by: 2025-2035
Share
A small but quality producer, though we’d expect nothing less with Craig Stansborough – who has made his name making stellar wines under the Grant Burge label for many years – at the wheel. This is dark maroon in colour. Quite a plush style, generous to a fault, with balance, good acidity, sleek tannins with a long and lingering finish. The nose gives us notes of cassis, soy, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, blackberries, licorice and a hint of graphite. Fresh and delicious, this will provide cracking drinking for the next eight to ten years. Like it 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.
