Monolith Vintners Monolithic Old Vine Barossa Valley Shiraz 2017

The 2017 vintage will go down as one of the finest vintages in the history of the Barossa. The vintage indicated early the supreme quality that would be produced by the dry grown, old vines that yielded the fruit we isolated for this special trail blend which was only the second in our history. Good winter rains were key as was the spring rains followed by a cooler than average summer which made for the near perfect conditions to create icon Barossa Shiraz. We hand-picked the fruit and it was transported to the winery where it was gently de-stemmed into concrete open top fermenters. It was then carefully nurtured for 7 days on skins with pump overs occurring twice daily, varying in duration and intensity. When primary fermentation was almost complete, the wine was drained from the skins and the must is gently basket pressed for 8 hours. The wine was transferred into new oak to complete primary fermentation is completed and left in the same new French and American barrels where it spent the next 36 months with submerged bung with only one topping and sulphur addition. The wine was then blended, and the barrels were bottled without the use of filtration or fining. A wonderful example of big and bold Barossa Shiraz which will stand the test of time, ensure it is allowed to breathe for at least 2 hours prior to consuming.

Viking Grand Barossa Valley GSM 2020

The grapes are picked and delivered to the winery and gently worked through the de-stemmer before being transferred to an open fermenter. The juice is pumped over daily to extract as much concentrated fruit as possible for a week period before draining and being basket pressed. The skins are then gently pressed for approximately 24 hours. After the wine has completed its malolactic ferment, it is matured in new and seasoned American oak barrels prior to bottling with minimal fining and filtration.

Striking Red Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019

This vibrant fruit driven Central Otago Pinot Noir is crafted from grapes grown on the glacial terraces in the Upper Clutha Valley  of Central Otago, one of the southernmost winegrowing regions in the world. The vines are intensively managed by hand to achieve perfectly ripe fruit for winemaking. All grapes are carefully harvested by hand with only the best fruit going to the winery. 

The Colonial Estate InExile Barossa Valley Shiraz 2021

The fruit for this Shiraz was sourced from a single old vineyard in the Marananga region in the Barossa Valley. The vineyard was severely pruned and as a result of this and minimal water they produced just one tonne to the acre. The grapes were all hand picked and a small selection from the most western edge of the Shiraz block was isolated by the winemaker and vigneron as they had such outstanding quality. The grapes were transported to the winery in the early hours of the morning to avoid the summer heat where they were again sorted then de-stemmed and crushed before being co-fermented in large wooden vats after extreme cold maceration. The wine had their malolactic in new French oak, and is thereafter in the same new French barrels for aging. The best barrels were then selected after 12 months in oak to be used in the final blend and bottled with minimal filtration. In the winery the final 12 barrels used were isolated from all other wines and we considered them to be inexile and hence the name was born.

Shanahans Silence Is Golden Barossa Valley Shiraz 2019

Sourced from three blocks in the western Barossa Valley, from vines aged up to 64 years. The 2019 vintage is another standout vintage and one I would say is well suited to the style of wine I enjoy to drink and craft. The timing of picking was critical to ensure wines did not become over ripe therefore we carefully watched and picked based on berry ripeness not just Baume. The Shiraz grapes were selected based on flavour profile to ensure consistency of style. The grapes were handpicked and delivered to the winery and gently worked through the de-stemmer before being transferred to an open fermenter with 20% whole berries. The juice is pumped over twice a day for seven days before draining and loading the basket press. The skins are then gently pressed for approximately 20 hours to retrieve more of the essence of the grape. After the wine has completed its malolactic ferment, it is matured in 23% new and 77% older American and French oak barrels for 18 months prior to bottling with minimal fining or filtration.

Songlines Estates Basket Pressed McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

“Songlines” are invisible pathways which criss cross the land all over Australia and stretch across continents and ages. The exceptional wine is named Songlines as it perfectly encapsulates the importance of the land, people and knowledge learned over time and across continents. 2021 growing season had very good winter rainfall. A dry spring followed encouraging healthy growth. The long dryIndian summer that followed meant great concentration of flavours. The conditions continued through autumn with warm conditions which in turn meant disease was not a factor and contributed to natural fermentation. After handpicking whole bunches we allowed the fruit to be cold macerated for 24 hours to ensure brightness and depth of flavour. After this fermentation occurred in small open top fermenters with and we hand plunged over a two-week period. Then we basket pressed and drained into 30% New French oak and 70% older American oak hogshead barrels for a period of 12 months before bottling with minimal fining or filtration to ensure the wines true character was fulfilled. A wine that will stand the test of time, drinking well now or over Next 10 years.