Warboys Vineyard Shiraz

VINEYARD

Planted some time in the 1930’s, the Warboys Vineyard is believed to be one of the oldest in McLaren Vale. The entire vineyard is now farmed and certified as organic and biodynamic which, in conjunction with judicious pruning, has allowed these grand warriors to attain a new balance and produce stunningly concentrated fruit. Deep dark loam and river wash with some underlying alluvial clays, interspersed with ancient limestone gives excellent drainage down the varying slope and provides the perfect base in which the roots can embed themselves. The southerly aspect and gentle breezes from the nearby Gulf St Vincent give delicate mineral flavours whilst the northerly site provides richness and depth. Winter 2015 received a normal level of rain, but in lots of small events. Spring was relatively dry and lead into some unseasonably warm weather in October, a cool November, then a quite hot December at last. Berry set was reasonable and well balanced for the canopy of our old vines. As in previous years the early summer rain storms freshened the vines and we started picking on 29th February. Lovely colour and nice spicy flavours are a hallmark of this vintage. Although a compressed vintage, ripening was predictable, allowing us to harvest fruit in optimal condition. The generally low crop levels combined with the warm ripening period allowed for ideal development of concentrated fruit and ripe tannins. All fruit was handpicked, with final yields around 1.5 – 2 tonnes per acre; these whole bunches being chilled before transport to the winery.

WINEMAKING

Carefully picked from the south facing slope of the vineyard the whole bunches of Shiraz were chilled prior to hand sorting in our vintage house. 25% of the ferment was whole bunches with destemmed and crushed berries on top. The must was then cold soaked at 10°C, for 3 days before being allowed to warm to 20°C. Fermentation was initiated by indigenous yeasts from our 100 year old winery. The small fermenters were handplunged daily, occasionally supplemented by gentle pump-overs of the juice. Midway through ferment, we jumped in and crushed any remaining whole berries by foot. Once the ferment had finished, the skins were protected from oxidation by a blanket of CO2 for 2-3 days of extended maceration. The skins were pressed in a restored wooden basket press, with the pressing wine added back to the free run. The wine was then racked to large new, 2nd and 3rd fill French oak puncheons for 10 months. The assemblage was determined in early February 2017 and the wine was bottled without filtration or fining. An Australian Certified Organic wine

Region: McLaren Vale Volume: 750mL Alcohol: 14%
Deep purple with blue hues. Aromas of spice and forest floor followed by bitter chocolate and white pepper precede intense spice and black fruits. Restrained on the palate at first, airing rich intense fruit flavours emerge, framed by great structure.

Have it with... A porterhouse steak and pepper sauce.

Cellar potential...30+ Years

The grapes: hand picked, sorted and pluged; small open fermenters; basket pressed in  a historic, restored wooded basket press; matured in older French oak puncheons; bottled without fining or filtration.

The wine: vibrant plum and red berry notes; classic McLaren Vale spice, richness and length. 

TECHNICAL DATA:
Alcohol vol: 14.5%
pH: 3.45
Total Acidity: 6.2 g/L
Residual Sugar: <2 g/L
Total cases produced: 1440 x 6

(SKU: AN_WBS_16)