It’s not often you have the chance to get your hands on something before it becomes widespread, but considering this hasn’t even been listed on the winery’s website this may just be your chance. John’s Blend has consistently been awarded 5 stars, and their wine’s live up to those grand expectations. Power would be the first thing that comes to mind when opening this bottle for the first time, if not from the opulent colouring then the nose of black fruit, chocolate, and spice influenced by the Eucalypt of Langhorne Creek. The mouth is flavoursome, with rich fruit influenced flavour wrapped around a core of dark chocolate and mint. An underlying thread of silky tannins and well integrated oak gives it a lingering, toothsome finish.
Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front: 95 Long-haul shiraz from Langhorne Creek. John Glaetzer’s handiwork. Extreme concentration of flavour. Black, inky, brooding and berried. Fruit power combined with lashings of coffeed, well-integrated oak. Fresh, despite itself. Motored with grainy tannin. The big end of town, done well.
PAST ACCOLADES & AWARDS:
James Halliday: 94 Full red-purple; a Guigal-like 38 months maturation in new French oak hogsheads of two distinct parcels blended shortly prior to bottling. It cannot really be compared to other Australian cabernet sauvignons; if accepted on its own terms, is very good.
James Halliday: 95 No 33. Deep crimson-purple; the wine spent over three years in new oak, half French, half Californian; the astonishing thing is the way the bounteous blackcurrant fruit has managed to deal with that oak, and not lose its identity.
James Halliday: 94 Following the completion of fermentation in new French hogsheads the wine was matured in those barrels for 40 months; those who have purchased some or all of the preceding 34 vintages will be pleased with the consistency and quality of this wine, one that has to be judged within the parameters of its style.
Don't Pay: $38.00
WBW Rating: 95/100
Closure: Stelvin
Region: Langhorne Creek, SA
Winemaker: John Glaetzer
Drink now until: 2030
Alc/Vol: 14.5 %
