Whistler Shock Value Barossa Valley GMS 2017 (Australia)

Description

This is probably the lightest wine the winemaker has ever made. 2017 was quite a cool and wet vintage, so the wines as a result are a lot lighter and more elegant. The field blend give this wine a nice mix of spice and red fruits, while the Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz from their Whistler vineyards were blended in to give the wine some depth and complexity. 

This wine is made up of a field blend that is interplanted with Grenache, Mataro, Alicante Bouschet and Shiraz. The vineyard is family owned by the winemakers cousin, Matt Pfeiffer, and managed organically by the winemaker Josh Pfeiffer since 2015. Some of the Grenache, Mataro and a small amount of Shiraz was grown here on their vineyards around the Cellar Door, which has also been managed organically since August 2013.

Matt Pfeiffer's field blend was picked together and co-fermented using wild yeast. The Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz from the Whistler vineyard was fermented separately and then blended back to make this wine after fermentation was complete. All parcels were foot stomped to control the amount of extraction, and gently basket pressed to minimise the level of tannin. This wine spent a short amount of time (6 months) in old French oak before it was blended together, and finished maturing in stainless steel. No filtration prior to bottling, and no fining agents were used, so this wine is Vegan.

Drink it now, but if you like more secondary characters, it will age gracefully up to 2024.

Food Pairing: This is the perfect BBQ wine, and works extremely well chilled in warmer weather.