The 2017 vintage Henry's Block Shiraz from Piano Piano has classic cool climate pepper and spice, cherry whilst still showing some darker berry aromas. The palate has elegant red berries flavours, spice, richness and an integrated oak finish. The fine chalky tannins add structure to this elegant wine.
"Hand-picked, 10% whole bunch, 90% whole berry, wild yeast-open fermented, 14 days on skins, matured in French oak (31% new) for 20 months. A lovely medium-bodied wine that follows in the footsteps of the '16. It's vibrant and juicy, yet also brings texture and structure into play. Effortless elegance. A long life beckons." 97 Points - James Halliday, Halliday's Wine Companion, 01 August 2020
”A lovely, elegant, suavely-structured shiraz with cool-grown pepper-spice aromas, the palate medium-bodied and harmonious, with refreshing acidity and fine, gentle tannins. Great early drinkability.” 94 Points - Huon Hooke, The Real Review
The Piano Piano Henry's Block Shiraz has been planted on the North East facing slope in decomposed granite. This soil is characterised by white granitic pebbles on the surface of a decomposed granite loam mix. At a depth of one meter the underlying clay is critical to the water holding capacity of the block whilst the granitic soils supply that rare, ethereal quality that makes Henry’s Block Shiraz so special. To enhance the cool climate quality of the fruit, vine rows have been planted in an East West orientation. Four Shiraz clones were selected to add complexity and spice and the vines were also planted at 1.2m x 2.4m.
Vintage 2017 was an ideal vintage. Beechworth experienced a long, mild, dry summer, and an early autumn. These slow ripening conditions resulted in delicate varietal flavours and balanced natural acidity. The grapes and resultant wines from 2017 show large amounts of fruit flavour and character. Vintage 2017 will be one of those years that we will talk about as being a “normal” vintage, and we will be enjoying these wines well into the future.
The entire block was hand picked on 13th and 29th March 2017. The grapes were gently crushed, allowing a large percentage of whole berries to remain unbroken. 10% whole bunches were also added to the fermenter. The wine was traditionally fermented using the vineyard’s indigenous yeast in open vats. It was gently hand plunged four times per day and it remained on skins for two weeks. After pressing, the wine was matured for 19 months in French oak and hogsheads and barriques (21% New,) before being prepared for bottling with minimal filtration.
