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Bethany Wines of Barossa
GR Reserve Shiraz 2020
GR Reserve Shiraz 2020
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Sourced from our finest parcels of Bethany village Shiraz, this wine has all the hallmarks of a great Barossa Valley Shiraz with a unique Bethany personality and character and does great credit to Geoff and Robert Schrapel, the founders of Bethany Wines. Matured in a blend of 35% new French and American oak, the nose displays complex layers of dark fruits mingling with dark chocolate and cooking spices. The palate is rich, compact and long with dark fruits complemented by dark chocolate and earthy complexity. Lush and elegant the velvety tannins produce a finish of great finesse and a promise of more to enjoy with careful cellaring.
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Wine Details
The GR series evolved after 10 years of Shiraz making. The variety which the Barossa is most famous for was also the most widely planted in our family vineyards and when we made our first wine in 1981 we decided to keep parcels of fruit from different vineyards separate.
The classification was made in the vineyard on the basis of micro-climate, soil type and viticultural technique, the parcels were processed separately in four tonne fermenters, and matured separately in new and seasoned French and American hogsheads.
Over a decade one parcel of fruit kept grabbing our attention. It came from a small vineyard of less than 5 acres in the foothills of the Barossa Ranges, from old vines on classic Barossa red brown earths overlaying limestone. The vines produce small berries which provide maximum flavour and colour and the breezes on the foothills ensure gradual ripening and fine tannins.
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Tasting Notes
Colour
Dense dark, glass coating purple red
Aroma
A dark, reserved nose of dark fresh spiced fruits with hints of cacao, turned red earth and spice.
Palate
A palate of dense dark cherry, dark chocolate and cooking spices fills the mouth. Hints of herbal character add aromatic complexity. The palate is mouth staining but has vibrancy and light that maintains balance and purpose. Dark chocolate tannins fill the back palate and carry the fruit through to a long and balanced finish.
Food Pairing
This is an intense and concentrated wine that would work well with richly flavoured meat dishes, ideally slow cooked
Notes
Winemaking
Picked in the early morning, the fruit for this wine was crushed to fermenter with a high proportion of whole berries to maximise fruit expression and 8% whole bunch for complexity. After a gentle fermentation on skins for 8-10 days wth twice daily pumpovers the wine was pressed to combination of new and seasoned French and American oak. The mid pressings of the wine were kept separate to be blended back after maturation. Maturation in barrel was for 18 months. Blend was selected from the finest parcels of Shiraz and then only the very best barrels within those parcels.
Viticulture
2020 was a year of significantly reduced yield in the Barossa in general and specifically at Bethany. This was partly due to a hot, dry December and early- mid-January which was similar to 2019. Careful soil moisture monitoring was beneficial in allowing Bethany to manage soil moisture in the most efficient way possible. The major impact on the reduced yield was the highly variable temperatures and weather conditions in spring 2019. The resulting crop was very small even by recent low yield standards but critically the quality was very high with good natural acidity, excellent colour and tannin structure leading to some magnificent wines.
Ageing Potential
10 - 15 years
Technical
Oak
35% new French and American oak, balance in seasoned oak. 18 months in oak
Alcohol: 14%
pH: 3.4
Titratable Acidity: 6.4g/L
Gluten Free, Suitable for vegan and vegetarian
Reviews & Awards
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August, 2023
Robert Parker
Erin Larkin
The 2020 GR Barossa Valley Shiraz leads with silken milk chocolate, blackberry pie (and bramble), bay leaf, roasting pan juices and toasty oak. In the mouth, the wine is the polar opposite of a shrinking violet, with its big, juicy fruit framed by a profusion of loose-weave, powerful, bear-hug oak. This has loads going on, a massive wine of Herculean proportions. Perhaps propitiously, the fruit is able to bear up to that structure, but it's a mouthful. Decanting is a must, and patience is preferred. Consistent style of wine here. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
94+ pts
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August, 2023
Wine Orbit
Sam Kim
A sumptuous offering, the wine shows dark fruit intensity, smoked game, tapenade, cedar, dark chocolate and potpourri aromas. It's equally gratifying in the mouth, displaying outstanding concentrated and plush texture, superbly framed by layers of silky tannins. Opulent and sophisticated with a prolonged engaging finish.
97 pts
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September, 2023
Halliday Wine Companion 2024
David Brookes
Sourced from the best parcels of shiraz in the Bethany village vineyards; 18 months maturation in 64% new French (six hogsheads) and American oak (one hogshead), the balance in seasoned oak. Deep, purple-flecked magenta in the glass with aromas of plush satsuma plum, blackberry and blueberry fruits cut with hints of baking spices, violets, jasmine, licorice, dark chocolate and earth. Full bodied, plush with ripe fruit, balanced and long of finish with super-ripe, fine tannin support and plenty of vitality and verve.
95 pts
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August, 2023
Wine Pilot
Ken Gargett
GR stands for Geoff and Robert Schrapel, the fifth generation brothers who founded Bethany in 1981 and who continue to offer fabulous wines with the support of their family. For this, their prestige release, they source the fruit from their finest parcels of old bush vines. The oak is mostly French, with a contribution from American. Under cork, there were 430 dozen bottled. An opaque maroon, the nose gives us chocolate, new leather, cloves, spices, aniseed, soy, black fruits and mushrooms. There are hints of axle grease (despite the connation, consider this a positive, as part of the complexity of the aromas). Great length here and the balance is never off-kilter in the least. A sleek texture and there is good intensity for the full journey. Notes of mocha and coffee beans emerge more on the palate. Has a good fifteen years ahead, over which time, expect this score to rise.
95 pts