Ben Glaetzer Eye of Ra Shiraz 2018

Product Information:

The Eye of Rã 2018 Shiraz embodies Ben Glaetzer’s quest for the ultimate Barossa Shiraz, showcasing his vision of perfection. Black berries are layered over red, with mocha, liquorice and fresh-cut cedar. Overall it's expressive and forceful, and time in the cellar will unveil delicious herbs that accent a core of dark berry fruit. Outstanding. 

In Egyptian mythology, The Eye of Ra was the powerful feminine counterpart to the sun god Ra and was also personified by a number of Egyptian goddesses. The Eye of Ra gifted renewal, life giving power and the annual Nile floodwaters that restored fertility to Egypt. These caring actions were celebrated along with The Eye’s forceful protective deeds. The symbol depicts the sun surrounded by two protective cobras and wings. The Eye of Ra represented a polarity of the extreme force of the sun’s heat countered by the sun’s nurturing gaze. Similarly Ben Glaetzer developed The Eye of Ra Shiraz that features incredible depth and power countered by exemplary elegance and restraint leading to amazing evolution in the bottle and glass.

Maker:

The Glaetzer family has a deep rooted viticultural history in the Barossa Valley, dating back to 1888. After 30 years of winemaking, Colin Glaetzer established the family winery to create limited quantities of super premium Barossa Valley red wines. Today Colin's son Ben makes unique and elegant wines which are regarded as classics and unmistakably Barossan. All fruit for Glaetzer Wines is taken from a small sub district of the Northern Barossa Valley called Ebenezer which produces exceptional fruit from very old vines (30-130 years). The softness and elegance of Ebenezer fruit coupled with Ben Glaetzer's winemaking style results in generous wines with great depth of flavour that are also elegant, multilayered and finely balanced.

All fruit for Glaetzer Wines is taken from the small sub-region of the northern Barossa Valley, called Ebenezer. The ancient dry-grown vineyards in the renowned Ebenezer district are an important part of Australia’s winemaking heritage and a living link to traditional Barossa viticulture. Exceptional fruit comes from a loyal group of third and fourth generation Barossa grape growers, the backbone of Glaetzer wines. Most plants are trained to a standard single vine, with permanent arm, rod and spur.  But the most exceptional fruit is sourced from 80-110 year old, non-grafted bush vines which are extremely low yielding.

The oldest vines bear only 0.5 to 1 tonne per acre. Younger vines produce 2.5 to 3 tonnes per acre. Most of the vineyards are dry-grown (non-irrigated) but some of the newer vines (propagated from original plantings) have supplementary drip irrigation to combat stress in drought years. The very old vines require minimal attention. Their deep root structure means they are self-sufficient and can adapt to climatic extremes.

The climate and soils of the Barossa Valley vary markedly from north to south. The warmer Ebenezer district has low rainfall and relative humidity which results in full, intensely-coloured wines. The softness, elegance and approachability of Ebenezer fruit has become the hallmark of the Glaetzer 'house style’. Ebenezer has a unique soil profile. The well-drained sandy clay loam over a solid limestone pan is perfect for growing Shiraz. The soil is 'mean' and encourages deep roots which helps produce hugely concentrated wines of great character.

Vineyard:

Rainfall well below average for spring and summer was coupled with warm temperatures. Healthy vine canopies assisted even ripening and flavour development. Calm Indian summer conditions in early March were perfect for vintage. The result was exceptional quality featuring intense depth of colour, astounding aromatic purity and brightness on the palate

Nose - Blood Plum, Pastrami, Dark Chocolate
Blood plum, pastrami, cracked peppercorns, clove bud, mountain herbs.

Palate - Velvety, Blackberry, Anise
Boysenberry, blackberry (actually, every black berry you can name), dark chocolate, squid ink, blueberry, resin and char. 

Finish - Clove, Cracked Peppercorns, Fresh
It shows the 2018 vintage off to its best effect: ripe, dense, concentrated, fresh and beguiling. Super good.

The 2018 The Eye of Ra Shiraz is wildly aromatic: blood plum, pastrami, cracked peppercorns, clove bud, mountain herbs (alpine mint?), boysenberry, blackberry (actually, every black berry you can name), dark chocolate, squid ink, blueberry, resin and char. In the mouth, the wine is velvety and concentrated. A galaxy of complexity exists in this glass. It shows the 2018 vintage off to its best effect: ripe, dense, concentrated, fresh and beguiling. Super good. - Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate, 98 points

 …The volume of fruit is staggering, but its delivery is incredibly measured and even, and this is the trick. Rã is not a monster wine but a monstrously long wine. …While this icon wine has an iconic flavour, I must urge you to seek it out. Imagine all of Ben’s experience and skill in just one bottle – Rã is it. - 19.5+/20 Matthew Jukes, 15th February 2023

The Finer Details
Style – Red Wine
Varietal –  Shiraz
Country – Australia
Region – Barossa Valley, South Australia
Vintage – 2018
Bottle Size – 750ml
ABV – 14.5%