Age has its benefits; and we’re going back to the beasts…..

What’s that equation again? I think that it’s ‘density equals mass over volume?’ In the land of dense and highly extracted wines, the benefits of age are referring to ‘vine age.’ The beast refers to this week’s new find; a profound, old vine Shiraz from Australia; the 2005 Glaetzer Amon Ra. The Amon Ra 05 is a beast of a wine; a wine that you need to wear a helmet when drinking it. My first blog discussed a visit with Ben Glaetzer and his Heartland wines. Ben’s Heartland wines are birthed from fantastic, cooler climate sites on the Adelaide coast. Vineyards in the Barossa Valley are a different animal than those on the Limestone Coast. Fruit for the Amon Ra comes from the aptly named and famous ‘Ebenezer’ vineyard in the north west of the Barossa Valley. Amon-ra Shiraz is sourced from 80-110 year old, non-grafted bush vines which are exceptionally low yielding. The oldest vines bears only 1/2 to 1 ton per acre whereas younger vines there will produce 2 1/2 to 3 tons per acre. The Ebenezer old vines are not irrigated. The very old vines require minimal attention. Their deep root structure means they are self-sufficient and can adapt to climatic extremes. Old vines tend to produce less but more concentrated grapes. Higher skin to pulp ratio equals more intensity in the wine. Get ready for some intensity.

Let’s revisit winemaker Ben Glaetzer. Not only was he Robert Parker’s ‘Australian Winemaker of the Year,’ with praise such as ‘he has shown an exquisite talent for accessing fabulous vineyards and turning out world-class wines, he has also been Quantas Airlines ‘Young Winemaker of the Year.’ When we originally met with Ben and his Heartland importer, we had a lunch to run through his full range of wines. It didn’t surprise us when we received a friendly Aussie greeting and the first words out of Ben’s mouth were, ‘g’day mate, care for a beer?’ Ben’s winemaking skills extend out past just the Heartland wines as he also fashions the Mitolo, Glaetzer and Amon Ra wines.

Let me hit you with some knowledge: As the King of all Gods, Amon-Ra is considered the most powerful figure in Egyptian mythology. The temple of Amon-Ra is recorded as the birthplace of commercial winemaking, having the first ever large scale vineyard grown specifically to make wine for the citizens of the temple.

Ben’s description of the 2005 Amon Ra Shiraz; ‘Dense purple color, the nose displays notes of blackberry, cherry, nutmeg and intense spice. The wine is voluptuous and yet seamlessly elegant. Supple tannins complement richness and viscosity. It is slightly more fruit driven than the 2004 Amon-Ra. Whereas the 2004 displayed purity and elegance at release, the 2005 will require a little more time to settle down in bottle. The tannin structure and sheer fruit weight of the wine will enable long-term cellaring from 12-18 years.’ For any of you who take grape seed extract supplements as a good source of anti-oxidants, I have to think that with the amount of dry extract in this wine that you would be able to skip the grape seed pills for a few months.

The 2005 vintage in Barossa provided conditions for making exceptional red wines. 2005 was one of the mildest growing seasons on record enabling winemakers like Ben to leave his Shiraz on the vine until early April, which allowed the fruit to be harvested with intense color and ripe tannin. The 2005s are more fruit forward than the 2004s and have slightly tighter, 'muscular' tannins with longer cellaring potential.

‘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.’ 98 points Wine Advocate

Amon Ra Shiraz 2005, Retail $74.99 Warehouse $64.99

When was the last time that you saw a Parker '98' being available let alone being available below retail?

We still have a few cases available of Ben’s Heartland 2005 Viognier/Pinot Gris from Langhorne Creek.

Ben’s notes: ‘The nose is bursting with stone fruits – peaches and apricots and some lime citrus characters. The delicious multi – layered palate begins with typical Viognier pear flavors intermingling with fresh melon flavors from the Pinot Gris.’We bought this wine immediately after first tasting it. Wow! Many straight Viogniers can appear to be pretty sappy. This wine has tremendous balance and lift, with the Pinot Gris adding complexity and texture. Honeysuckle, lemon and green melon flavors scream out. Has a minerality not often associated with new world Viogniers or Pinot Gris for that matter. Not a typical grape combination. Certainly worth a try. Has been a real crowd pleaser.

Heartland Viognier/Pinot Gris 2005, Retail $19.99 Warehouse $15.99

Wasn’t it David Bowie who sang ‘skip those grape seed pills and put your helmet on?’