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NOTES
In Egyptian mythology, Amon-Ra is considered to be the king of all gods. The temple of Amon-Ra was believed to be the first temple to ever plant a mono-culture vineyard to produce wine for the citizens of the temple. The eye on the front of the label is the all-seeing eye of Horus or wedjat ('whole one') - a powerful Egyptian symbol of protection. It is represented as a figure with six parts, corresponding to what Egyptians regarded as the six senses, - touch, taste, hearing, sight, smell and thought. Ben created Amon-Ra Shiraz to appeal to all those senses.
THE WINE
2008 is the 8th release of Amon-Ra Shiraz and the smallest volume we have released since the tiny 2003 vintage - even lower than the 2007 make. To decrease the total make of Amon-Ra once again has been essential to maintain the quality of the wine. The strict fruit selections we have made in this vintage have been rigorous and uncompromising. We are always willing to sacrifice quantity for quality.
The key to Amon-Ra Shiraz is balancing the extraction rather than maximizing it as the fruit has such expression that we aim to preserve the characteristics of the vineyard rather than dominate them. At release, the 2008 Amon-Ra is more forward and lifted than the 2007.
The difficulty of this vintage was harnessing the intensity of fruit, and balancing different levels of ripeness. Harvesting key parcels of excellent fruit before the heat spike was crucial.
The Amon-Ra has captured the intensity of fruit of this vintage, and retains its trademark elegance, finesse and balance.
REVIEWS
Dense purple-crimson; the bouquet is redolent of black fruits and licorice, the full-bodied palate a masterpiece of winemaking, rich and thickly textured on the mid-palate, then slimming down on the finish, with savoury notes inviting the next glass. Cork. 14.5% alc.
Rating 96 James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2011
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