Ranked #2 of 185 2017 Shiraz from Barossa Valley
97/100
5 Stars
Huon Hooke
Deep colour, with a dark chocolate aroma, the palate chewy and textural with abundant tannins and stacks of pepper, spice, graphite, cola, blackberry flavours, and great density. The concentration and density of flavour is matched by its tremendous length and satisfying aftertaste. The tannins are abundant and mouth-coating, stopping short of grippy but certainly persuasive. A wonderful wine, tremendously flavoursome, profound and persistent, with a core of lush sweet fruit ably balanced by masses of tannin. A very big but balanced wine of great quality.
Tasted: 15/06/2019
Drink: 2020 to 2037
96 Points Robert Parker
A profound example of Ebenezer fruit and skilled winemaking, the 2017 Amon Ra Shiraz is full-bodied and velvety in texture, picking up more nuances the longer it sits in the glass. Floral and mint notes appear on the nose, along with a mix of raspberries, blackberries and baking spices. There's plenty of new oak, but it's been mostly absorbed into the wine, leaving a drink that's rich and sumptuous. And just when you think it's over, a bit of licorice appears on the long finish to add a pleasant finale. Drink 2020-2035.
Joe Czerwinski – The Wine Advocate Drink 2020 - 2035.
Source: Robert Parker.
94 Points James Halliday
An iconic wine, reminding me of the halcyon era of Parker in the US when working as a sommelier in NY. A different era! I wondered, before tasting, if the wine had taken a turn toward freshness and poise. Sourced from low-yielding 50-130yo vines, the result boasts more reductive tension than in times of yore, following substantial time on lees amidst 16 months in 100% new hogsheads, largely French. The nose, all camphor, terrine, licorice all sorts, anise and soused plum, is currently enmeshed in a carapace of oak tannins. This said, time will unleash the fruit, allowing the whole to become far more than the sum of its nascent parts. Patience!
Ned Goodwin MW
Published 01 August 2019 Drink to 2040.
Source: James Halliday.
97 Points Huon Hooke huonhooke.com
Deep colour, with a dark chocolate aroma, the palate chewy and textural with abundant tannins and stacks of pepper, spice, graphite, cola, blackberry flavours, and great density. The concentration and density of flavour is matched by its tremendous length and satisfying aftertaste. The tannins are abundant and mouth-coating, stopping short of grippy but certainly persuasive. A wonderful wine, tremendously flavoursome, profound and persistent, with a core of lush sweet fruit ably balanced by masses of tannin. A very big but balanced wine of great quality
Huon Hooke, The Real Review, June 2019
Source: Huon Hooke huonhooke.com.