• French oak
• Fragrant
• Complex
• Firm tannins

A complex, finely-textured Shiraz expressing the conditions of each vintage and the character of a unique vineyard site. Fragrant and lifted showing a mineral graphite edge. Notes of charcuterie. Structured with firm tannins, good for aging. Decant and enjoy with osso buco. Ideal temperature is 16-18°C. Has the concentration and structure to develop fine tertiary characters in bottle over the next 15 years.

The 2019 growing season was one that challenged even the most experienced and well equipped vignerons. Those that made the most of it produced small crops of very clean fruit with wonderful flavour and intensity. Natural acidity is a feature in all of the wines despite the warm dry summer.

From close-planted (5,500 vines/hectare) low yielding vines from block two at Shaw + Smith’s Balhannah Vineyard, planted in 2005. It has a north-facing aspect and the soils are loam over clay, ironstone, quartzite, and shale. This distinctive site had always shown potential for a single site wine, and in 2013 we made our first release.

Hand picked, sorted and fermented as whole berries and whole bunches, in open fermenters, with gentle plunging and minimal working. Majority aged in 600 litre French oak puncheons (15% new)for 14 months, followed by a further 24 months in bottle.