Winemaker Notes
Bright red purple in color. Grenache once again provides an intense strawberry lift with touches of cherry, minerals and spice. The Shiraz component provides structure to the wine and tightens the confectionary notes of the Grenache. Overall a pure, vibrant blend displaying freshness and animation.
The 2005 Glaetzer Wallace has more vibrant fruit than the 2004 - a reflection of the higher levels of aromatics from the 2005 vintage. The Wallace is superb drinking now, and will reward careful cellaring for up to 3 years.
"The 2005 Wallace is 80% Shiraz from 65-year-old vines and 20% Grenache from 90-year-old bush vines. It spent 14 months in seasoned French and American oak. It exhibits a lovely perfume of cedar, tobacco, damp earth, black cherry and blueberry. This leads to a concentrated, structured wine with ripe blue and black fruit flavors, well-concealed tannin, and a long finish. This excellent value can be enjoyed over the next 8-10 years. Hats off to Ben Glaetzer for producing an extraordinary portfolio! The renowned winemaker, Ben Glaetzer, sources all of his fruit for this label from the Ebenezer district in the northern Barossa. Many knowledgeable experts cite this sub-region as the finest in the Valley." - Wine Advocate
Professional Ratings
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.