Glaetzer Amon-Ra Shiraz 2016

Cellar for up to 12 years. No need to decant before serving.

Glaetzer was founded in 1995 by Colin Glaetzer who made wine at Barossa Valley Estate before deciding to make and bottle his own wines. Colin’s son, Ben, followed in the footsteps of his father and was named Qantas Young Winemaker of the Year in 2004 aged just 26. Ben is now winemaker at Glaetzer where he specialises in crafting small quantities of top quality Barossa wines from the northern Ebenezer sub-region.

Glaetzer is currently experimenting with some 35 different grape varieties to see which best suit the local terroir, but Shiraz reigns supreme in the Barossa as in this iconic bottling which is named after the king of all the gods in Egyptian mythology. Grapes are sourced from 50-130 year old vines in Ebenezer with the fruit vinified in open top fermenters. The young wine is then matured in new French oak barrels for 16 months. The wine is bottled without filtering to capture the pure natural character of the grapes and terroir.

The result is a handsome, powerful Shiraz with an inky purple hue and intense aromas of cassis, blackberries and plum seasoned with black pepper. The first sip reveals a robust full body, firm tannins and rigid structure that will respond well to additional cellaring. Hold for another decade or so, or enjoy now alongside hearty beef stews, barbecued ribs or rich venison dishes.