Shiraz Ironstone
2013
Pirramimma was founded by Alexander Campbell Johnston in 1892 and has been owned and operated by the Johnston family ever since. The Johnston family arrived in South Australia in 1839 and in 1892 Alexander, the tenth of thirteen children, purchased 97 hectares of rich farmland southeast of the then fledgling village of McLaren Vale. He named his land Pirramimma, an Aboriginal phrase meaning "the moon and the stars." The vineyard soils vary from sandy, on the rise, to rich dark loam on the flat....
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Over 124 years ago Alexander Campbell Johnston planted his first vines at the highest point of the estate, adjacent to the township of McLaren Vale. Knows as the War Horse vineyard, it has a soil profile of sandy red loam, over shallow conglomerate Ironstone and piped hollow Ironstone. Traditionally the old low trellis contoured Shiraz vines at this site produce the lowest yields of all the Pirramimma blocks. The miniscule yield of concentrated fruit offered from these vines in 2013 provided the quality and power to release this limited Shiraz in our Iconic Ironstone series.
The bouquet displays spicy red plum, mulberry, bramble and subtle cedary oak, with hints of coconut and vanilla. The palate shows distinctive regional flavours of dark chocolate, Satsuma plum, wild loganberries, blackberry and toasted Mocha oak, complemented by spice and black pepper notes. This rich powerful Shiraz is wonderfully balanced with fruit, firm structured tannin and oak in harmony.
40% matured for 28 months in new French oak and American oak, the remainder in older barriques. Deep crimson-purple; this is a rich and luscious wine, but keeps a sense of proportion and balance, with fruit and tannins simply acknowledging the oak. Will live for many decades.
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A thick soup of plum-drenched flavour, toasty vanillin oak and choc-mint flavours sprinkled over the top, nips of kirsch for good measure. A full-on red wine, dense, inky, mouthfilling. Ripe tannin steps in on the finish and pulls the load of flavour forward. Substantial.
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The Oz style is all about fruit and softness. In this case, it's rich red plums and sassy mulberry fruit with a dusting of vanilla. On the palate the wine is expansive but vibrant with more dark plums, blackberries, and flecks of milk chocolate. The finish is substantial, with soft spice and a very light pepper tone, compared to Rhone or BC. A hedonistic style of shiraz with balance, this will age for a decade. Some 40 percent of this shiraz spends 28 months in new French oak and American oak, but thanks to the high fruit factor the tannins are kept well in check. A roast leg of lamb would be the ticket here.
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