Wine Advisor
Glaetzer, Amon Ra Shiraz 2005
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep garnet in color, the 2005 Amon-Ra displays aromas of pure black currant cordial, dark chocolate, violets and toast with a hint of raw meat and touch of Indian spices. Full-bodied with a taut and muscular frame defined by firm grainy tannins, it is still very youthful and offers fresh, crisp acid that retains nice vibrancy through the long finish. Drink it now until 2020+. Importer: Epicurean Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 923-1376
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The profound 2005 Shiraz Amon Ra is fashioned from a dry grown, 100- to 110 year-old vineyard, and spends 14 months in a combination of 100% new French and American barrels as well as 300-liter hogsheads. A saturated purple color is followed by scents of creme de cassis, incense, licorice, black raspberries, graphite, and sweet wood. It unfolds beautifully on the palate to reveal terrific richness, full-bodied power, great definition, and lovely elegance. This exquisite Shiraz is still young, but it possesses a degree of accessibility. It should age for two decades. It is a superb example of cutting edge winemaking being utilized on ancient Shiraz vines in the Barossa. Importer: Ben Hammerschlag, Epicurean Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 923-1376
About the Producer
The Glaezter family emigrated from Germany in 1888 and became some of the first recorded winegrowers to settle in the Barossa Valley, Colin Glaetzer established the Glaezter Wine Company about a century later, focusing on producing fine wines, and his son Ben runs the winery today. The philosophy is to use the best quality grapes to produce wines that best reflect the character of the Barossa Valley appellation. Barossa is famous for its ancient vines, from which the fruit is harvested without irrigation, and whose roots reach dozens (sometimes hundreds!) of metres deep to find underground water far below the surface. The yields from these vines are naturally very low and the fruit produced is very concentrated. Château Glazeau received a super five star rating from the James Halliday-hosted Australia Wine Companion in 2012. Glazeau's focus on making only four wines from old vine grapes in the Barossa Valley has resulted in excellent quality wines each year and very small yields.
