The Auswine Forum

Tried this wine on the weekend. The wine was shared with friends over a game of football.

Two of my mates made very good comments about the wine, that it was sweet and caramel seem to be a dominant feature of the wine. After these comments were made I knuckled down with the brain and started analyzing the wine.

Early last year I tried the 2004 vintage of this wine, upon trying my first mouthful I fell in love with this wine. It represented nearly everything about Barossan shiraz, it was a mid to deeply coloured wine, it had that Barossan shiraz thing, it had a great nose on it, a wine that had lingering colour and had an intense nose. Then it was bottoms up! a near explosion of flavours on the palate - a fresh vibrant wine with excellent mouthfeel, tannins, weight all in it's right proportions.

Fast forward to last weekend and I am trying the 2005 vintage, fruit now (in addition to previous vintages) from the much older vines, but the sweet thing started to get to me a near, it started to remind me of a blackberry/raspberry cordial, dare I say. Stewed fruits and jammy, but it was almost as if the grapes were just left on the vine a bit too long, never-the-less a good Bishop, but not a great one! The 2004 vintage was a much better expression of this wine.

Hmmm Caramel is a note that sends alarm bells ringing for me. I've tried the Bishop in earlier vintages and didn't take to it. Will taste again following the label rationalisation (2004/2005?), but I'm beginning to suspect this wine is not for me. Oddly I'm quite happy with the Mitolo GAM (which is made by the same winemaker right?)

regards

Ian

With the 2004 Glaetzer Bishop I also had a slightly different experience - found the 2004 version to be intense on the nose, but the palate could not follow it up. It was spicy, peppery, licorice and almost savoury-meaty. I thought it had inherent balance but lacked the punch or should I say the fruit layers I'd expected for the price.

2001 wasn't that interesting to me either, although I do suspect if its just me, even when disregarding the price? Since both 2001 and 2004 received good reviews in general. The 2005 - will really have to try and see. But from what people had said, it is vastly different to the previous vintages.