St Hallett Blackwell Shiraz 2022 Barossa Valley

Winemaking Notes
St Hallett Blackwell Shiraz was first released in 1994 in honour of Stuart Blackwell, winemaker for more than three decades and a tireless contributor to the St Hallett story. The fruit is sourced predominately from Northern Barossa, with the red brown clay soils creating wines with hallmark characteristics of black plum, cherries, and dark chocolate. Individual parcels are harvested and treated as single batches in the winery, with the fruit destemmed and transferred to various sized fermenters based on the batch size. Yeast selection, pump over regime, and ferment temperature varied based on the characters of the block, with fermentation typically around 24-26°C and time on skins between 10 and 12 days. After pressing, the parcels were filled to American oak barrels, where they matured for 12-16 months, ensuring the wine displays intense flavours of blackberry and mulberry complemented by waves of milk chocolate and sweet baking spice flowing across the palate. The supple tannins are well polished, persistent, and complemented by the well-balanced oak, with the crimson red colour with purple hues reflecting the wine's concentration and quality. This full-bodied, rich, and opulent wine is perfectly structured to ensure the wine will age gracefully throughout the years, showcasing the exceptional winemaking expertise that defines St Hallett's approach to Barossa Valley Shiraz.

Vintage Conditions & Northern Barossa Character
Vintage 2022 experienced excellent winter rains, near average rainfall, and the vines flourished throughout the season. An excellent fruit set in the spring followed by a warm dry summer preceded mild vintage conditions and ensured the grapes achieved their optimal phenolic maturity, creating an excellent vintage producing balanced wines with great fruit intensity and concentration. The fruit sourced predominately from Northern Barossa, with the red brown clay soils creating wines with hallmark characteristics of black plum, cherries, and dark chocolate, displays blackberry tart, lashings of berry coulis, fine cocoa, and sweet spice elevating from the glass. The intense flavours of blackberry and mulberry are complemented by waves of milk chocolate and sweet baking spice flowing across the palate, with the supple tannins well polished, persistent, and complemented by the well-balanced oak. This wine can be enjoyed now or cellared for 10-15 years, pairing beautifully with grilled steak, roast lamb, beef ribs, venison, and aged cheddar when served at 16-18°C, demonstrating the exceptional quality that comes from Northern Barossa's red brown clay soils and the 2022 vintage's excellent winter rains, warm dry summer, and mild vintage conditions that ensured optimal phenolic maturity, creating a full-bodied, rich, and opulent wine perfectly structured to age gracefully throughout the years.