2016 Two Vineyards Shiraz
“An exceptional terroir wine, with a strong regional
identity and the structure and fruit intensity to improve
with extended cellaring.”
Representing our finest selection of shiraz from our estate vineyards expressing clearly varietal and vintage, and only made in the best of years, this wine is the pinnacle for us of this noble grape in a cool elegant corner of Australia.
Nose
Yielding only gently with an initial hint of distinguished black savoury plums framed by serious oak, it reveals complex and heady floral notes that interplay with rich middle eastern savoury spices and vanilla bean elements. Nutmeg and cinnamon with a hint of smoke interplay complete the picture.
Palate
The palate is immediately mouthwatering with powerful satsuma plum, salted chocolate and licorice. The seamless mid palate with sensual mouth coating tannins offer notes of charcuterie, flint and tea leaf. The expansive finish of long fine grained tannins interweaves hints of vanilla bean, mocha and smoky graphite.
Blend
Shiraz 99%, Viognier 1%
Cellaring
This wine, whilst approachable in its youth will show its full details and complexity with several years aging but will be able to blossom for 20+ years
Food Pairing Notes
The rich complexity of this wine has the winemakers reaching for a salt crusted Bistecca Fiorentina, the classic Italian thick cut T-Bone steak, dressed with rosemary and served with smashed crispy baby potatoes. A Moroccan lentil and chickpea tagine with fresh spices brings out the exotic nature of this shiraz.
The Vineyard
The fruit comes from our Trinders (old Block 5) and Chapman Brook (Blocks 23 and 24) vineyards. The typical soils of these vineyards are geologically ancient, free draining red sandy loams with a high percentage of lateritic gravel. The vines are now fully dry grown and, early in the season, manually thinned and leafed to expose the fruit. Picking decisions are made by taste only; picking is by hand in small batches.
Winemaking
The fruit was destemmed and lightly crushed to open fermenters, the Chapman Brook lot receiving 2% viognier for cofermentation elevating aromatics and deepening colour. The ferments proceeded with wild yeasts utilising punchdowns, pump overs and delestage (juice removal then pumped over the top for aeration and extraction purposes). In total, the Trinders lot spent 50 days on skins, whilst the Chapman Brook lot spent 70 days developing optimum balance of tannin, fruit and colour. Light basket pressing followed with malolactic fermentation taking place in French (80%) and American (20%) oak barriques (50% new); the wine was aged on lees (fermentation solids) for 8 months, before being racked off lees and aged a further 13 months then blended and bottled with no fining or filtration.
Analysis
13.7% alcohol, 6.3 g/l total acidity, 3.61 pH
Wine Companion
A blend of parcels from the Trinders Vineyard (great power and depth) and from the Chapman Brook Vineyard (nuanced, fine, floral characters). 50-70 days on skins; 21 months in French (80%) and American (20%) oak, 50% new oak overall. The result is a powerful, layered shiraz wanting to be a cabernet sauvignon, but isn't unduly put out by having to remain what it is.
