Wolf Blass Grey Label McLaren Vale Shiraz 2018
- 95
- $45
- Drink by: 2020 - 2032
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The twin to our Langhorne Creek Grey, and what a terrific pair they make. The straight Shiraz is from McLaren Vale and, in a fine vintage like 2018, this wine drinks well above its price. It is cracking value. The supple texture and lovely soft plushness here is a joy. Concentrated, sure, but gentle as well and lovely length too. It also offers the usual quality oak treatment one expects with any top of the line Blass wine with flavours of dark chocolate, mulberries, cloves, black cherries and more. Quite how Blass manage to walk the tightrope of full flavours and serious oak yet offer wines which seem so fresh and even elegant remains a mystery. Plenty of tannin but so soft as to be almost invisible. It has a good decade ahead – what is not to love?
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.
