December 25, 2022 - What a monster this wine is. Huge flavors of dark fruit and chocolate. Age has rounded it out, drinking perfectly right now, with more to come. I am looking for more, great stuff.
May 23, 2022 - Wow.
Just wow.
January 27, 2022 - 100% old-vine Shiraz from 50-130 yo vineyards in the Ebenezer sub-district. Fermented in open-top fermentors, aged for 16 months in new oak barrels (95% French, 5% American). Bottled unfiltered. 15,1% alcohol. Tasted in a 2015-2002 Amon-Ra vertical.
Very dense, concentrated and fully opaque reddish-black color with a slightly evolved maroon hue. At first the nose feels a bit restrained for an Amon-Ra, but opens up to reveal a bit light yet wonderfully layered aromas of ripe blackberries and black cherries, some minty tones, a little bit of wizened red fruit, light evolved meaty tones, a hint of bouillon and a touch of savory wood spice. On the palate the wine feels remarkably concentrated, extracted and chewy - even for an Amon-Ra! - with a very full body and intense flavors of peppery spice and licorice root, ripe blackberries, some extracted woody bitterness, light gamey tones, a little bit of smoke, a hint of ripe yet not sweet plummy fruit and lifting touch of eucalyptus. Although the acidity feels high, for the most part it gets quite overwhelmed by the substantial body, so a lot of the structure relies on the ample yet very ripe and powdery tannins the bring a lot of ripeness but limited grip to the palate. The powerful finish is long, chewy and slightly warm with intense flavors of peppery spice, ripe black cherries, some extracted woody bitterness, a little bit of gamey meat, light notes of tar, a hint of sour cherry and a touch of licorice root.
A concentrated, powerful and very impressive vintage of Amon-Ra that feels more youthful than its similarly aged peers. Furthermore, the wine has integrated its oak character remarkably well, so the emphasis is almost fully on the ripe yet surprisingly dry and savory old-vine fruit. Although the wine is quite structure-driven, it isn't too tightly-knit but instead very approachable already - although, based on its youthful nature, I'd say this wine will reward greatly if left in a cellar to age further. In our vertical tasting one person found the wine disagreeably "rubbery", but for all other attendees this was the WotN (along with the superb 2002 vintage). All in all, an outstanding vintage of Amon-Ra that most likely will outlive many other surrounding Amon-Ra vintages. Not particularly affordable at approx. 70€, but delivers for the price.
December 5, 2021 - Kim said it was excellent.
October 22, 2021 - Outstanding wine! Rich, layered with black cherry, blackberry, dark coco, baking spices. plush mouthfeel with a long crisp finish.
May 2, 2021 - Two hours slow ox in the bottle. Big and juicy, still not my preferred style, but a good pairing with burgers.
February 4, 2021 - Gorgeous - a perfectly balanced blend of black fruit, tobacco, leather, hint of clove (?), oak, and silky smooth integrated tannins. Big wine, but so fresh that it doesn't feel heavy going at all.
January 2, 2021 - A very good representation of Barossa Shiraz. Has all the makings of a long life. Easily another 10+ years cellaring. No rush on this one. Velvet smooth, leather, tobacco, black fruits and bay leaf. Delicious, needs 2hrs decanting.
October 11, 2020 - Not much to add besides the usual. It’s a good wine to go with smoke ribs.
August 19, 2020 - Powerful wine. Nose shows blueberry, blackberry, cloves, leather, earth, meat with some herbaceous notes. Firm and fine tannin structure, with nicely balanced acidity. Flavour mirrors the nose with a nice earthy, textural structure. Long lingering finish. Has a decade or more in front of it.