Glaetzer Bishop Barossa Shiraz 2018  £28.95

GLAETZER BISHOP BAROSSA SHIRAZ

Ben Glaetzer as a winemaker has always been something of a risk taker, his wines do not come quietly, usually they push the boundaries of their genre and more often than not they have a character that you rarely find anywhere else.

This wine like a lot of his Shiraz flies very close to the boundaries of ripe and over ripe. It is a massive wine, dense, deep and dark. Personally I think it is a triumph but beware, its not for the faint of heart.

Inky deep in colour with lashings of blackberries and blueberries on the nose with a graphite complexity following through through to meaty notes once aired for a time.  The palate is big and glossy initially with really ripe, fine and well structured tannins linking the liqueurous blackberry style fruit with licorice notes and surprisingly fresh acids.  Big alcohols (15%) are not evident on the finish which is a mastery in itself and it lingers beautifully on the finish.  

A big, bold and beautiful wine which some may regard as over the top, but its this opulent style which makes the Glaetzer wines stand out and unashamedly speak of their Australian origins.

If you want to know what good Aussie Shiraz should taste like, try this.

Try with a medium rare grilled rib eye for a classic combo.
 

Wine Companion: 93 points 

From vines 35-120yo in Ebenezer yielding 3t/ha. Open-fermented, extended maceration, then maturation for 16 months in hogsheads (40% new, 95% French). The use of French oak has put a polish on the wine, which has a loyal following.

James Halliday

The Real Review: 92 Points

Dark berries, coffee and aniseed aromatics. The palate is beautifully polished with dark fruits melding into some cola and sweet spice notes. Hints of iodine and sea-spray give additional complexity, with a bright high line of acidity to carry through the middle. A deeper line of tannins kicks in and carries it long into the finish with a gentle hand​

Stuart Knox