Gismondi On Wine reviews Glaetzer

2004 Amon Ra
97 Points
Amon-Ra, the King of all Gods is Ben Glaetzer's moniker for his best shiraz. After a difficult '03 vintage, where a single day's rain wiped out most of the crop, the '04 Amon-Ra is all it can be and more. Glaetzer is all about the purity of the fruit and with overnight temperatures in the 18 to 25 degree range, he appears to have a handle on the acidity question as well. The 105 to 115 year-old vines are situated in the Northern Ebenezer region of Barossa. The oak is a 40/60 mix of American/French, and it's all new. Spicy nutmeg black fruit scented flavours melt across the palate. Dense rich and powerful this is a considerable jump in quality and quantity over the '03. Love the savoury undertones and the supple fine-grained tannins. Very hedonistic without going over the top. There are only 12,000 bottles for the world. Definitely, a bargain among top end Barossa shiraz.

2004 Godolphin
93 points
Godolphin is a 70/30 shiraz/cabernet blend made from vines that span 60 to 115 years that are all dry-farmed in Barossa's Ebenezer district. I don't remember tasting better version of this blend. It's rich round supple and sleek as it enters the palate and it’s packed with spicy powerful blackcurrant fruit whose size and intensity reflects the low yields that winemaker Ben Glaetzer. There's a leafy mocha undercurrent in the finish of what Glaetzer claims is his junior wine although it’s anything but. Fine value here.

2004 Glaetzer Shiraz
94 points
Winemaker Ben Glaetzer says 2004 was a magic vintage and his Barossa shiraz confirms that. I love the cool savoury threads that punctuate this sleek, rich flavourful red that has all the hallmarks of low yield vines (less than two tons to the acre shiraz). It almost tastes food friendly. Look for sweet black fruit and mocha licorice notes throughout. Big rich dense and powerful, as you might expect form Barossa, but with structure and harmony. Impressive newcomer in these parts that really moves the mark up

2004 Bishop Shiraz
92 points
The Bishop is made from young vines at least in the Barossa vernacular because young means 30 to 60 years old. I can only imagine the envy of re-planted post-phylloxera Napa with that statement. Again, like most Glaetzer wines, there is plenty of jump in the glass. Soft ripe plum/raisin flavours fruit just melts in your mouth. Love the balance in a wine in which the acid and the alcohol are both in check. Good value here and it will be fun to age this a decade or more.

Anthony Gismondi is one of Canada's most influential wine critics. A top rated writer, broadcaster and speaker, his expertise is widely acknowledged throughout the international wine community.
Website : www.gismondionwine.com/