Glaetzer The Eye of Ra Shiraz 2016
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bottled but not yet labeled, with a possible release set for mid-2019, Glaetzer's 2016 The Eye of Ra Shiraz boasts classy notes of pencil shavings and dark, plummy fruit. From 85-year-old vines, it's full-bodied, rich and creamy, loaded with vanilla-tinged French oak but balanced by blueberries and blackberries and ending with lasting hints of mocha and licorice. It returns Glaetzer's traditional Barossa winemaking to a new level of quality and elegance without sacrificing power or guts.
The first Glaetzers settled in the Barossa Valley in 1888 after emigrating from Brandenburg, Germany. From here, they settled in a country town called Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley where they started their new life in Australia. The family were some of the earliest recorded viticulturalists in the Barossa Valley and Clare Valley and the current generation is firmly entrenched in the family wine business.
Winemaking patriarch Colin Glaetzer established his own label to create wines he's passionate about - limited quantities of benchmark Barossa Valley reds. The birth of Glaetzer Wines signalled a new era for Colin's family which boasts more than its fair share of winemakers. The clan includes Colin, his oenology-trained wife Judith, twin brother/winemaker John, and five winemakers among the couple's three sons and their wives.
With the 2004 vintage, Ben Glaetzer took over winemaking at Glaetzer and brought his own flagship wines, Amon Ra and Godolphin, into the fold. Young Glaetzer has implemented many changes at the winery, particularly with regard to harvesting upon physiological ripeness vs. analysis, longer skin contact and the use of the highest possible quality oak barrels.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.