Our last look at this wine was 15 vintages ago when it was explained as a cool-climate style shiraz, a style most of the world had been chasing ever since. Indeed it’s cool, but complex, and 2017 is a great example of how cool the wine can be. Heavy rains gave way to lesser amounts during the flowering period, while the harvest was dry and long-ish thanks to record low temperatures. The result is beautiful acidity throughout this red shiraz. Balhannah Vineyard, loam over clay, ironstone, quartzite, and shale, is tightly planted and is coming into its own at a dozen years. Fragrant, stylish, balanced, and swimming in bright red fruit and white pepper, this is a wine you can savour for hours. There is a richness of texture that finishes with an intriguing meaty, spicy note. No rush to drink this. It is hand picked, sorted, and fermented as whole berries and whole bunches, in open fermenters, with minimal intervention. It spends 14 months in 500 litre French oak puncheons and another 14 months in bottle before release. Hats off to that treatment.
April 2021