2022 Barossa Valley
Shiraz

Vineyard:
Stansborough Vineyard, Williamstown

Viticulture:
Stansborough site: The site is around 260-280m above sea level with an east west aspect. Soil consists of a shallow red clay top soil over friable red clay with bands of quartz, ironstone and shale. The vineyard was planted in 2000 with further planting in 2011 all are own rooted, clone is heritage and 1654, BVOVS5 & BVOVS10. The 2000 planted vines are spur pruned to 32-36 buds per vine, with the BVOVS clones cane pruned. The mid rows are cultivated to winter active fescue. No pesticides or herbicides are used and the vineyard has been run organically since 2018.

Winemaking:
The spur pruned Shiraz was picked on the 28th of February with the canned pruned 16th March 2022.
The fruit was crushed into 1 x concrete open fermenter using header boards the other into stainless steel open top with auto plunger. Temperatures were allowed to reach 28C with header boards allowing gentle extraction toward the end of alcoholic fermentation. Plunging times were eased toward the end of ferment. After 9 and 8 days on skins the fruit was basket pressed and transferred into 23% new French oak puncheons with balance into 1–6-year-old French oak hogsheads to undergo malo-lactic fermentation. After malo-lactic fermentation the wine was racked, blended then transferred back to the same oak and matured for another 16 months. The wine was pumped from oak in September.

Tasting Notes:
Purple colour leads to an enticing nose of red and blue fruits, raspberry, blueberries, hints of balsamic strawberries, anise with subtle oak in the background. Medium to full bodied palate with excellent flesh and typical Shiraz fruit sweetness. The cool vintage allowed slow consistent ripening giving ripe textural tannins and lovely svelte nature to this wine. This wine can be enjoyed now but will reward over the next 10 years.