Tasting 2006 Glaetzer Amon-Ra Shiraz

Winemaker Ben Glaetzer blew into the Chicago area this week amid his annual tour of the States to promote forthcoming releases from the fabulous Barossa Valley in Australia.

Ben gathered with a group of local wine connoisseurs at the acclaimed Hinsdale Wine Shop in the city’s western suburbs (he’s posing here with oenophile Doug Myers, center, and the wine shop’s esteemed founder Sean Chaudhry) and unveiled a spectrum of exceptional types of red wine, foremost among them the 2006 Amon-Ra Shiraz. Ben does not attempt to conceal his lofty expectations for the ‘06, even though it comes on the heels of an ‘04 and ‘05 also both highly regarded. He expects to go three-for-three. The ‘06 growing season was slighty warmer than the previous two, which leads the congenial Aussie to believe the current Amon-Ra will continue to add finesse, elegance and structure as it matures in the bottle.

The nose of the ‘06 exhibits a full measure of dark cherry and toasty hints. On the palate there is a quickly noted complexity and a juicy intensity.

The 2004 Amon-Ra rated 95 points when reviewed by Stephen Tanzer, and the 2005 was a monumental success, earning 98 points from Robert Parker Jr. The ‘06 likely will join their critically acclaimed ranks.

The other news tidbit from the Glaetzer camp is that the Godolphin Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon blend has been renamed. Beginning with the 2006 vintage it will be labeled Anaperenna, although the wine is from the same vineyard and even the label image remains intact. The Glaetzers had to yield the Godolphin name due to threatened legal action by a party outside of the wine industry.