Glaetzer Amon Ra Barossa Valley Shiraz 2020  £56.25

Glaetzer Amon Ra Barossa Valley Shiraz

Amon-Ra Shiraz is an iconic wine that epitomises Ben Glaetzer’s passion to create wines that are full flavoured, multi-layered and intense but still elegant, stylish, and finely balanced.

In Egyptian mythology, Amon-Ra is considered to be the king of all gods. The temple of Amon-Ra was believed to be the first temple to ever plant a monoculture vineyard to produce wine for the citizens of the temple.

The eye on front of the label is the all-seeing eye of Horus or wedjat ("whole one") - a powerful Egyptian symbol of protection. It is represented as a figure with six parts, corresponding to what Egyptians regarded as the six senses; touch, taste, hearing, sight, smell and thought.

Ben created Amon-Ra Shiraz to appeal to all these six senses.

Winemaker notes for the 2020...

Exceptional old vine fruit was sourced from the famed Ebenezer sub-district vineyards at the northern tip of the Barossa Valley with a Vine age between 50—130 years old yielding at 2 tonnes per hectare.

The 2020 vintage offered us so much in quality, but so little in quantity. The dry year leading up to vintage, 2019 being the driest year on record, was always going to lead to a reduced crop. This was amplified by frost in October affecting flowering. Smaller bunches with smaller berries were then offered the reprieve of a cooler January and February in contrast to the previous year. The result is very low yields, but wonderful quality and character. Shiraz stands out as the quality leader for the vintage, offering extraordinary colour and flavour.  

Vinification: Fermented in 1 and 2 tonne open fermenters, hand plunged 3 times daily. Matured for 16 months in 100% new oak hogshead barrels (95% French and 5% American) and matured on lees to maintain fruit profile and animation. Bottled unfiltered to ensure minimal intervention with the wine’s natural characteristics.

Tasting Notes  Colour:  Deep purple upon release, but will evolve to a rich, dark red over time in bottle.  Aroma: Dark plum and blackberry notes are offset by hints of black pepper and wild forest herbs.   Palate: Intense and mouth-filling with the balance, complexity and focus we have to come to expect from Amon-Ra. Powerful dark berry fruit is accented with delicate spice and herb notes. It inspires confidence in its age-worthy nature.  Peak Drinking: A wine that will develop beautifully with long term cellaring through to 2045.

Critics

James Suckling  95 Points

Complex aromas of blackberry, sweet green tobacco and ink well. Full-bodied, tight and focussed with ultra-fine tannins that run long. Compact and integrated. Classy. Give this three to four years to soften and open. Try after 2025.  

Robert Parker Wine Advocate   97 Points

I’ve looked at this wine many times over the years, almost exclusively as an older/cellared wine. The impact it has made is strong, and so it is through this lens that I now view this 2020 Amon-Ra Shiraz. This year’s Amon-Ra is concentrated, dense and absolutely, utterly saturated with flavor. The fruit that spirals within the bounds of the firm tannins is fleshy and pure, and with the knowledge that the wine sails through the decade with noiseless grace, it is all the more impressive in its infancy now. A brilliant wine – all ductile and proud. Yes. Drink Date 2022 – 2042.

James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion  96 Points

Always a picture of pure fruit density and latent power, the latest release of Ben Glaetzer’s Amon Ra continues that theme of Barossa concentration. Glossy blackberry, black cherry and satsuma plum fruit flow readily, that compact Ebenezer power on full display. Hints of baking spice, earth, licorice and dark chocolate come into play, along with tightly packed, gypsum-like tannins for support, impressive acid cadence and a persistent and enduring exit. Always impressive.