"As the King of all Gods, Amon-Ra is considered the most powerful figure in Egyptian mythology. The temple of Amon-Ra is recorded as the birthplace of commercial winemaking, having the first ever large scale vineyard grown specifically to make wine for the citizens of the temple." http://www.glaetzer.com/wines/amon2004.asp

I know. . . dramatic. . . but this wine is very dramatic. I have now had 2 vintages of Amon-Ra, the '06 and the '04.  We enjoyed the '06 at a get together of wine friends a few months back.  Kurt, a self-professed "wine-geek", and good friend, offered the '06 Amon-Ra and told us that this was a "big Aussie" Shiraz that he had decanted "all day".  The almost black color of the wine in the glass lead me to believe that this was a "big Aussie" Shiraz and the look on my wife's face as she rolled her eyes back after her first taste told me that this was good, really good.  For you see, my wife is a BIG fan of the Aussie Shiraz (and other big bold wines).  This bottle impressed my wife so much that for a few months, she dropped hints, as only a wife can do, about getting another bottle of Amon-Ra.  As part of her Valentine dinner this year, I did just that. . . and again, she and I, were not disappointed.  Indeed, this is one of the finest wines I think I have ever tasted.

Glaetzer Wines

Amon-Ra is the product of young Aussie producer Ben Glaetzer at Glaetzer Wines in the Barossa Valley of Australia.  Glaetzer Wines is a true family affair started by the patriarch Colin Glaetzer and continuing with Colin's wife Judith, Colin's twin brother John and 5 other winemakers among the couple's three sons and their wives!  http://www.glaetzer.com/about/

Ben Glaetzer



Ben Glaetzer is the winemaker of Amon-Ra for Glaetzer Wines.  He grew up in the family winemaking business and was trained in Oenology at Roseworthy College in Adelaide.  In addition to his winemaking at Glaetzer Wines in the Barossa Valley, he is also winemaker and principal shareholder of Heartland Wines from the Limestone Coast and Langhorne Creek, www.heartlandwines.com.au and Mitolo from McLaren Vale.  Ben believes that winemaking requires minimal intervention by human hands and winemakers should rely on the terroir of the region to produce their wines.

2004 Amon-Ra



Amon-Ra is "dry grown" (no irrigation is added other than what mother nature provides) on 105-115 year old estate Shiraz vines. The dry growth generally produces smaller yields and smaller grapes with more intensive fruit flavors.

We decanted the '04 Amon-Ra for 7 hours. Yes, this is a big Aussie Red— it clocks in at 15% alcohol.  In the glass, this monster has a inky black/purple color to it.  
On the nose I got beautiful blackberry, blueberry,  and cocoa powder. On the palate, this is a full bodied, extremely well balanced silky wine with wonderful complexity featuring dark berries, licorice, cocoa and a hint of vanilla.  The tannins are richly smooth and the finish seems to go on for days.  As I said earlier, this is one of the best wines I have tasted.  In fact, with ratings of 93 points from Robert Parker, 95 points from Josh Reynolds and 95/96 points from Gary Vaynerchuk, this is one of the best wines around.  This is in no way an "everyday" wine.  This is for special occasions only (unless you are a "baller").  Because of its sheer excellence and the small grape yields Glaetzer Wines gets from the old vines, this bottle will cost you somewhere between $65.00 and $85.00. Not small change— but if you can afford it— very much worth it.

Cheers!!