2009 Schist Rock Shiraz
Estate single vineyard wine grown in the chilly surrounds of Mount McKenzie in the Eden Valley. This label represents our rendition of Eden Valley Shiraz which is the non dried portion fruit that of Frost Dodger Shiraz and is aged in ex Frost Dodger barrels.
- Region
- Eden Valley
- Sub-Region
- Mount McKenzie
- Specific Vineyard
- Mount McKenzie
- Altitude
- 380 meters
- Vineyard Practices
- Family traditional biological farming methods with a diet of composts, native grasses & flora as ground cover, low water imput and natural sprays for diseases.
- Soil
- Clay loam over a shaley schist rock bed
- Trellis System
- Single wire
- Varietal
- Shiraz
- Age of Vines
- 14 years
- Alc/vol
- 14.5%
- Closure
- Diam
- Yield per vine
- 3.0 kg
- Oak treatment
- Aged for 13 months in ex Frost Dodger barrels with the addition of seasoned old French Cadus and Radoux barrels
- Total Production
- 22,000 bottles
- Vintage
- Winter rainfall in the Eden Valley was below average with a slight frost during the last week of October which reduced yields by 20%. December rainfall was much needed as ahead of us was summers bright start up with our grapeyard once again overcomming the extreme heatwave in early February and continued to prevail with milder slower ripening conditions to produce a beautifully aromatic and flavousome Shiraz.
- Wine making
- Once again very minimalistic workings including 25% whole bunch open top ferment, wild yeast fermented, soft pump overs / hand plunging, basket pressed, aged for 13 months and bottled unfiltered.
2009 Schist Rock Shiraz
Current pricing
$17.00 per bottle or $204.00 for a case of 12.
Reviews:
Stephen Tanzer July 2010
Inky purple. Candied black fruits, licorice, black pepper and cocoa powder on the nose and palate, lifted by a violet nuance. Seamless and fruit-driven, with a silky texture and no obvious tannins.
Philip White The Independent Weekly July 2010
Apart from the intensity of flavour one usually expects of grand Eden Valley fruit, this wine displays an extra layer of syrupy slurpable, as if some of it were made by the old Italian amarone technique, using dried grapes. it certainly delivers an incredible mouthful for this minuscule price. There's a little mint, a sullen well of prune and mulberry essence, and then, exactly where you would expect it, a bedrock basement of bone - dry glittering schist, neatly balancing an anchoring all those squishy bits. If this came from Verona in a posh Italian bottle it would cost you $80 - $90
The Winefront Campbell Mattinson June 2010
Sweet-fruited, supple, generous and delicious. Easy to see why it’s rapidly gained such a fan base - and why this release should too. Blueberry and blackberry fruit flavours. Maybe a minimal amount of spicy, toasty, musky oak - though the fruit quickly takes over. Modest tannin but what’s there is ripe and fine. Floral nuances. Lovely.
Ben Thomas The Weekly Review May 2010
From the Eden Valley and a patch of shaley schist rock bed comes this deep, rich and brooding wine. It is made with minimal winemaker intervention using wild yeasts and a gentle basket press to squeeze the grapes – all buzz words that can add extra dollars to the price of a wine, which makes this a lot of wine for just $17. It smells of black and blueberries, almond nougat and cloves. It‘s medium-to-full-bodied and has a deep dark-purple colour. It has flavours of blackberry cordial, stewed plums and hints of black pepper along with a nice meatiness. Fine-grained tannins and slight herbal notes finish the wine off. This is a seriously good price for a lovely winter tipple.
James Halliday 2008 & 2009 Australian Wine Companion
Torzi Matthews scores 5 star rating
