GLAETZER AMON-RA SHIRAZ 2023

From very old vines up to 130 years, this stellar Shiraz from Ben Glaetzer is about quality over quantity. With boatloads of flavour but nothing heavy, the wine's incredible depth of lush fruit and spice is nested in a perfectly balanced and supple palate. It's sumptuous now but it will continue to age for decades. Hard to imagine a better example of this modern Aussie style.

Winery notes (2023 Vintage)
"In Egyptian mythology, Amon-Ra is considered to be the king of all gods. The temple of Amon-Ra was believed to be the first temple to ever plant a monoculture vineyard to produce wine for the citizens of the temple. The eye on front of the label is the all-seeing eye of Horus or wedjat ("whole one") – a powerful Egyptian symbol of protection. It is represented as a figure with six parts, corresponding to what Egyptians regarded as the six senses; touch, taste, hearing, sight, smell and thought. Ben created Amon-Ra Shiraz to appeal to all these six senses.

Blackberry notes are offset by hints of black pepper and cardamom. Rich and delightful mix power and delicacy. Dark fruit notes abound, counterpoised by elegant spice and herb notes. It will age as long as anyone could wish.

Fermented in 1 and 2 tonne open fermenters, hand plunged 3 times daily. Matured for 16 months in 100% new oak hogshead barrels (95% French and 5% American) and matured on lees to maintain fruit profile and animation. Bottled unfiltered to ensure minimal intervention with the wine’s natural characteristics."

97/100 Ray Jordan, WinePilot.com (2023 Vintage)
"This 100% Shiraz comes from the Ebenezer district, of vines ranging from 50 to 130 years old. Plenty of work goes into the wine in the winery, with three-times-daily hand plunging and maturation in 100% new oak — 95% French and 5% American. The small amount of American oak seems to make an important contribution to the overall feel of the wine. The nose displays blackberry, plummy, slightly peppery, spicy characters that are immediately complex. The super-saturated palate is rich, concentrated, and immensely powerful, capturing and harnessing those dark-fruit characters with the support of ample but integrated oak and fine, firmish, chalky tannins. It all hangs together beautifully, producing a wine that will handle extended cellaring. Drink 2026 – 2046."

96/100 Dave Brookes, James Halliday Wine Companion (2023 Vintage)
"Jeez, the Amon-Ra is in fine form with this release. There's the sense of compression and fruit density that you'd expect from Ebenezer-born fruit, but there is detail and freshness to its form. Nothing is overbearing or blown out; everything is nicely in balance. Glossy blackberry, blueberry and damson plum fruit with hints of baking spices, earth, fruitcake, dark chocolate bullets, wood spice, pan juices, violets and vanillin oak. Full bodied and purely fruited, with a swell of fine, powdery tannins and a finish that stretches out beautifully. Very nicely done indeed! Drink 2025 – 2045."

94/100 Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, June 2026 (2023 Vintage)
"It tastes purple, it tastes black, it feels creamy, it feels intense. This is a warm, concentrated wine with sweet plum, kirsch, clove and aromatic herb notes threaded through with violets, cedar-cream, dark chocolate and oak-spice. Layers of tannin press on the finish, though the fruit continues to flow and to carry onwards. It’s the full box and dice and it’s a good version thereof."

93/100 Dave Sly, Decanter, May 2026 (2023 Vintage)
"This presents a dense labyrinth of black-fruited intrigue, requiring furrowed-brow concentration to dig through all the layers. On the nose, there’s tar, olive, black liquorice and a whiff of barnyard funk rising above the blackberry hedge. The palate opens with all these characters and more – black cherry, blackcurrant and black pepper, all rolling and roiling in an intense wrestle. This will take many years in the cellar to completely calm down. Winemaker Ben Glaetzer has never taken a backward step in presenting big wines with big character, and this dense, dark unfiltered beast fits the mould precisely."