Glaetzer Wallace Barossa Shiraz Grenache 2020  £19.55

GLAETZER WALLACE BAROSSA SHIRAZ GRENACHE 

Glaetzer Wallace takes on the traditional Barossa Valley blend of Shiraz and Grenache in a modern way. The Shiraz brings backbone, flesh and body to the wine with the Grenache adding a soft, vibrant juiciness.

72% Shiraz / 28% Grenache

Exceptional old vine fruit was sourced from the famed Ebenezer sub district at the northern tip of the Barossa Valley. Vine age 50—80 year old for Shiraz and 50—100 year old for Grenache.

A wet winter and spring coupled with cooler than average spring temperatures resulted in slower yet balanced canopy development and healthy flowering and fruit set. A mild summer with regular rainfall events followed allowing the fruit to be in no rush to mature, perfect for consistent ripening. Harvest commenced a few weeks later than recent years. The 2017 wines are of excellent quality exhibiting purity and lift with firm tannins and exceptional length.

Old vine Barossa Grenache has a liveliness and structure that does not benefit from oak maturation—oak contact was thus minimised for the Grenache component to preserve the purity and animation of the fruit. The Shiraz was matured for 16 months in 2—3 year old oak hogshead barrels (80% French / 20% American).

Vibrant purple with bright red hues. Wild cherries with a hint of blueberry and rose petal on the nose with upfront red berry fruit, midpalate richness and brightness from the Grenache. Finishes fresh and long.

A wine to enjoy in its youth that will also develop additional complexity over 6 to 8 years of cellaring.

90+ points eRobertParker.com

Yes, the 2017 Wallace Shiraz-Grenache blend is heavily weighted toward Shiraz (as usual), but it's the Grenache that makes itself known on the nose, adding lovely florals and raspberries to the slightly darker toned fruit of the Shiraz. Medium to full-bodied, this is supple yet crisp—perhaps a bit youthful and angular—but finishes with silky tannins and plenty of length. In another year or two, it might rival the impressive 2016.

Joe Czerwinski

92 points James Halliday

This is a nice drink. Thrills with a chill! I wish I didn't have to write anything more because to do so, chortles on and contradicts the spirit of a wine that is gulpable because-and not despite of-its virtuous simplicity. Sweet berry fruit notes sashay to Turkish delight and kirsch, all licked by briar and a dash of vanillin oak. There is old-turf-vinosity to this, with length and effusive energy.

Ned Goodwin