2006 Glaetzer Anaperenna- Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley (5/6/2011)
We decanted this and poured 10 minutes later, and then enjoyed over the next 2 hours. This is a good Aussie Shiraz with some additional complexity brought by the 20% cabernet. The nose is red fruit. The palate is blueberry and plum with some sweet vanilla. There’s earthiness in the background from the cabernet, but relatively light compared to wines that are mostly cab. As the wine sits in the glass, there is an herbal and eucalyptus component that comes to the fore as well as a bit of pepper spice and the sweetness from the fruit recedes. The finish is moderate to long. The color is dark. Unfiltered with significant sediment, even at a young age. Not for the Aussie-hater, but if you like this type of wine, it is very enjoyable. (91 pts.)
Thanks for the nice note, Jay. Had this about 8 months ago and really had very similar impressions…this one has up-front fruit right away, which backs down a bit with time. I personally see no reason to wait any great amount of time on the remaining bottles. While I’m no big Aussie acolyte, this was enjoyable and balanced.
I’ve got four moreand I will probably try to save one for at least 5 more years to see what develops for the sake of curiosity, but they are quite enjoyable at this point.
A little OT, but here’s my TN on the AMON-Ra 2005 by Glaetzer:
C: Almost opaque very dark red.
N: Strong oak and fruit.
P: Wonderful dark plummy chocolate, lovely balance and length, tannins completely integrated. Silky, rich, full-bodied and elegant. Not a fruit bomb. This is a great wine (but somehow not my style)! Quite a feat to make it elegant, integrated tannins, and no Syrah “spice”. Paired beautifully with rack of lamb.
I had a bottle of this 3 weeks ago and agree with your take on it. It was such a complete wine with no rough edges or syrupy notes and was a pleasure to drink. It is really the class of Glaetzer’s wines IMO.
I have had the 06 Anaperenna and do not think it is in the same class. In the interest of full disclosure, I loved the 04 Godolphin (the original name of the Anaperenna before the name change) and liked the 05. But the 06 seems simpler than those wines. Still very drinkable in my mind, but not good enough to make me it worth the price to me. But I have thought that all the 06 Glaetzers, including the GAM have been a step down from the prior 2 years.
My personal favorite of the Glaetzer wines from among those mentioned is the 04 Mitolo GAM, which is just a bit better to me than the 03. I enjoyed the '06 Annaperenna quite a lot, but not as much as the GAM. I had a Godolphin before the name change and agree that it was better than the '06. I have not had as good luck with the Amon Ra. I’ve had it a few times and some of them were sublime, but I recall one that was a dud, pehraps just a bad bottle. How about this shocking idea - the Glaetzer Shiraz-based wines from Australia need some age to truly show what they have, and the 2006s just aren’t ready yet!
By the way, I opened a bottle of this about 6 months ago with someone who likes to drink wine but who does not consider himself especially knowledgeable or experienced. He loved it.
I agree that they are better with time. I also agree that the 04 GAM is a very good wine, although my favorite from that vintage was the godolphin. Their improvement with age is the reason that I still have 04’s and 05’s left from each of the Amon ra and GAM. I still have the 05 Godolphin, but the 04 was so god that i drank them all up.
But having had those vintage wines when they were young and through the years, I just don’t see the same quality in the 06 wines that I found in the other vintages at the same stage. Not a criticism or an argument with your opinion. Just my take on them.