| 2016 Block 4 Shiraz | |
 | Size: 750ml Tasting NotesAn intense dark colour and a perfumed nose showing dark chocolate, satsuma plum, dark berry fruits, mint and a hint of white pepper. A good acid to tannin ratio ought to mean this wine will age well. Ratings92 - Halliday Food MatchingA cliché perhaps but anything beef would work well - my favourite being a grilled T-bone with a mushroom sauce made by deglazing the pan with a splash of the wine. On the other hand chicken cacciatore and egg noodles would work as well, along with a pork roast with crackling and duck fat potatoes. ViticultureIn 2016 we only harvested 9 rows of Block 4 as we had begun retraining half of the block in order to clear out the "dead arm" Eutypa issue that was slowly killing the cordon and reducing the yield. Luckily these 9 rows didn't suffer much from our killing black frost on the 27th November. A warm summer meant the grapes ripened a little sooner than usual. We hand picked 1.75 tonnes on the 15th April. A slow picking team meant I had to hop out of the tractor and help hand pick after a grumpy call from the winemaker! WinemakingThe wine was made with minimal intervention. Grapes were destemmed and passed over a sorting table before being fermented largely whole. The wine was left on skins post ferment before pressing and Malolactic fermentation (MLF). Post MLF the wine was racked into barrels; about 1/3 new French oak and the balance into older French oak barriques. The wine was bottled after about 18 months maturation in oak. Wine AnalysisTA: 6.92g/L |