The Colonial Estate Exile Barossa Valley Shiraz 2013

After the stunning 2012 vintage we were blessed with a second consecutive vintage of excellent quality fruit despite difficult conditions, which kept yields well below average. Early frost kept bud numbers low and as a result reduced the volume of fruit produced, the low crop and one of the driest and quickest vintages on record as a result of a late dry winter and spring which lead into the usual warm dry summer ripening period. The bulk of the fruit was sourced from an old vineyard in Marananga, which is dry grown and includes a block of vines over 100 years in age. The vines that make up Exile were pruned severely and received a run of green harvesting finally producing just one and a half tonne to the acre on average. The fruit was basket pressed and fermented in small 1 and 2 tonne fermenters, it was hand plunged three times daily, the wine was matured on lees to maintain the fruit profile and matured in Hogheads barrels for 24 months prior to being bottled with minimal filtration. 

5 Star Iconic Barossa Producer SA Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Cleanskin 

The lead up to Vintage 2013 was perfect for quality fruit across all varieties. The summer months were warm with some rain events; these rains helped give the vines a great start and allowed them to access sub-soil moisture into summer. The vines from which the fruit is sourced were strong and healthy producing grapes with focused flavour with excellent quality and structure. The grapes were fermented in static and rotary fermenters. Warm temperatures at the onset of fermentation and also 3-5 days post ferment maceration has helped extract soft fleshy tannins and build wine structure. 

Songlines Estates Basket Pressed McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Sourced from an old single vineyard site in the McLaren Vale ranges on what they call the golden miles, which I think the best fruit comes from. Soils are red and have high ironstone content, they are also quite bony (stony) so crop levels and low and fruit intensity is awesome!  The fruit was hand picked over a week period as requested by the winemaker which was easy to do due to the perfect vintage conditions and gives each individually batch some distinction although it was all from the same vineyard block. The wine was hand crafted in small open top fermenters and had extended time on skins when fermenting to add further complexity and fruit characters. Ferments were relatively cold and were pumped over by hand twice daily. A small portion of the wine was fermented in barrel to add some oak complexity early on. The wine was then matured in a mixture of seasoned French and new American oak for 18 months prior to final blends being done and bottling. Drinking perfectly now, although it is clear with so much natural fruit if cellared well, will last for around 10 years.

Olssens of Watervale The Olssen Six 2013

The fruit was picked over a 3-week period starting at the beginning of March, once picked the fruit was transported to the winery and de-stemmed. Primary fermentation was carried out in stainless steel fermenters the grapes were pressed using pneumatic bag press with all pressings returned to add more weight and texture to the wine. The wine was then transferred to French and American oak for secondary malolactic fermentation. The wine was matured for 18 months prior to the selection of the barrels deemed best of vintage for inclusion in the final Six. This Ultra Premium dry red blend is made up of 85% Clare Merlot & 15% Clare Shiraz