Little Giant Barossa Shiraz 2023 (Australia)

Description

Blackberry, Oak, Vanilla

"Richly fruited and enticing, the wine shows blackberry, warm spice, vanillin oak, and dark chocolate aromas on the nose. The concentrated palate displays a plush texture, backed by layers of polished tannins, leading to a lengthy and sumptuous finish. At its best: now to 2036" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

The 2023 Little Giant is a modern take on Barossa Shiraz displaying elegance and freshness derived from the cool climate Eden Valley fruit components. Blackberry and dark chocolate fill the glass with the wine’s maturation in older oak adding licks of vanilla and cedar. The finish is soft and vibrant with fine silky tannins.

The southern hairy-nose wombat is smaller than other wombats but is stocky, robust and the proud state emblem of South Australia. Like the might of the little wombat, Little Giant is crafted from premium regional South Australian fruit from established vineyards that deliver character and interest well above their size and weight. Hand-crafted and made with minimal additions and preservatives, these are wines made of the vineyard. The grapes are picked at optimal ripeness, minimally handled in the winery and fruit vibrancy is not hidden by non-essential artifact. Seeking first and foremost fruit expression, drinkability and to be a great accompaniment to food. Don’t let the size fool you, these are wines you’ll want to drink.

The winter and spring prior to the 2023 vintage was generally a little wetter and cooler than what is usual, delaying the start of vintage and meaning some extra care was required through the growing period. Whilst the vintage was indeed later than usual, there were some really beautiful parcels of fruit that benefited from being grown in sites where the slower ripening simply enabled flavour ripeness to be achieved with character & balance.

Little Giant Shiraz is crafted from fruit sourced from select premium vineyards of both the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley. Picked in the cool of the morning to retain freshness, the fruit is de-stemming and fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine then spent nine months in used large format French and American oak barrels to build structure whilst softening the palate and develop flavour complexity without overt extraction of oak characters.

Food Pairing: Pair with a classic beef and mushroom pie.