Winery & Vintage Info
Shiraz Shiraz Shiraz is a blend of the Tscharke families three estate vineyards. The three sites are located on the western ridge of Barossa Valley, in the sub districts of Marananga and Seppeltsfield. The gentle rugged terrain gives rise to unique growing aspects together with the oldest soils of Barossa Valley. This wine brings about complexity derived from blending, it delivers a persistent yet very smooth palate.
The 2018 growing season had a reasonable start with adequate rainfall through winter and early spring. Healthy canopies were established across all sites and the dry and warm conditions of late January and February kept weeds and disease pressures to a low. February proved to be a very warm month which stalled ripening and it wasn’t until the relief of a mild March that the outlook for a great harvest looked imminent.
The late Indian summer enhanced the quality of late picked varieties such as Mataro, Grenache, Montepulciano and Cabernet. 2018 came off the back of two big vintages so it was no surprise this harvest was likely to be down on average with most crops down by 20-25%. The wines produced were very balanced, had ripe phenolics and display vibrant mid palate weight, a spectacular vintage for good structure and elegance.
Early harvesting helps retain freshness, natural acidity and encourages a balanced wine without the higher alcohol. The fruit was destemmed into concrete and open top fermenters. After a warm 10 day ferment, the wine was pressed, racked off gross lees and allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation [MLF] in tank. Following MLF the wines were racked, sulphured and élevaged for a further 15 months in a combination of large (6600L) oak vats and seasoned French hogsheads before the final blend was assembled and bottled.
