Had the good fortune to taste seven of the Glaetzer Barossa wines
yesterday afternoon, including 3 of the new releases from the 2005
vintage that Ben Glaetzer was publicising.

Started with the Wallace label (Shiraz/Grenache), 03 and 04 vintages.
These were Shiraz/Grenache blends, and the 03 was very impressive -
full bodied, rich, earthy with a nose of spice and berries and lighter
hints of chocolate. The 03 vintage had apparently been a poor one in
that area of the Barossa Valley, but the 04 had been far better - yet
the 04 Wallace wasn't as good as the 03. It didn't have the same earthy
character to it (which I'm quite fond of), instead showing a lot more
fruit and oak - but still was very good.

We then had the Bishop Shiraz - little to pick from between the 04 and
the 05 vintages. Both were powerful, layered wines with strong noses of
spice and berries - typical Barossa shiraz characteristics. Thumbs way
up here once more.

Next came the Godolphin 2005 - this was a Shiraz-Cabernet, and probably
the best Shiraz-Cab I've ever tasted. Quite incredible - deep ruby red
in the glass, herbaceous aromas with lots of berries and lighter pepper
notes, fine tannins and a silky texture in the mouth. The finish on
this was unbelievable.

The tasting finished with the Amon-Ra Shiraz, from the 04 and 05
vintages. These were even more concentrated and powerful than the
Bishop wines, and with plenty of structure as well. The 04 was
excellent, with lots of dark fruit and spice and softer earthy tones;
the 05 was even better though. This was a dark purple (almost black) in
the glass, with an incredibly intense nose, lots of tannin and another
gorgeous, lasting finish.

Not sure how much the wines will cost in Aus - the list we were
provided had the Wallace Shirazes at 22/23 USD, the Godolphin 05 at $65
(my personal favourite), and the 05 Amon Ra at $88. In my book though,
definitely worth the effort and money to find some of these.

Salil