St John’s Road Reserve Blood and Courage Barossa Shiraz 2020
- 94
- $48
- Drink by: 2024-2034
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For their Reserve, the team select the best eight barrels of Shiraz from the vintage. The wine spent eighteen months maturing in their very finest new French oak barriques. A maroon colour here, the nose exhibits alluring notes of chocolate, cassis, plums, delicatessen meats, black fruits and well-integrated oak. The wine is focused, seamless and supple, with plush cushiony tannins. A flick of acidity helps carry proceedings. Very good length here, it will provide attractive drinking over the next eight to ten years. There is a poise and a purity here that really does appeal.
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.
