Leeuwin Estate Siblings Margaret River Shiraz 2020 (Australia)

Description

• Oaked
• Boysenberry
• Vanilla pod
• Fine tannins

Vibrant and fragrant with heightened notes of violets. Purity and clarity of fruit with blueberries and boysenberries that meet with pepper, coffee bean and camphor. Layers of spice threaded throughout the nose of vanilla pod, cinnamon quill, star anise and black cardamom, generate generous complexity. The palate has poise and presence, neatly coiled around satsuma plums, raspberries, mulberries and black cherries. Woven through a lively and mineral acid thread. Cacao and olive coat the mid plate, leading towards fine tactile tannins.

2020 produced another outstanding, characteristic Margaret River vintage. Winter of 2019 was typically wet and windy, although overall winter rainfall was lower than average. Chardonnay was the first variety to burst in the middle of August, encouraged by a prolonged period of sunny weather in late July and early August. Budburst was then noted in the Riesling and Cabernet through late August and September. Summer was generally warm with few hot days. Veraison was first noted in the Estate Pinot Noir vineyards in mid- December, which is significantly earlier than usual. Nets went onto the vineyards through early January, although a good show of Marri blossom in the region kept the birds away from the ripening vines until March, when the Marri flowering was complete.

Harvest commenced in the final week of January, with Pinot Noir being picked for the Estate Brut. Mild, temperate days and cool nights allowed the reds to develop beautiful tannin, flavour and sugar ripeness. Harvest of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz begain in mid-March and the last Estate fruit was picked on April 4.

Selected shiraz parcels were individually berry sorted and fermented in closed and open fermenters after cold soaking, then plunged and pumped over daily. Following completion of primary fermentation the wine was run to new, one and two year old barrels for malolactic fermentation. The wine underwent malolactic in barrels and after six months the various components were blended and aged in barrels for a further eight months. After final assemblage the wine was fined and readied for bottling.