2021 Apricot Block Shiraz

The vines were planted in 1995 on the site of the old apricot orchard, which features soils of silty, sandy loam over flint and quartz. The contoured top section of the vineyard is where the flint and quartz predominate. We pick the fruit here around 10 to 14 days later. It gives Shiraz with floral notes, dark fruit, flinty tones and more robust tannins. This is the section that gets the new oak. The sandy loam at the bottom gives fruit with chocolatey plushness and classic Barossa Valley Shiraz fruit flavours of plums and cherries, while the tannin structure is silkily seductive.

The blend saw 60% American and 40% French oak in 2021. 15% of it was new.

The nose is floral with apricot blossoms and a nutty, stone-fruit kernel note. The layers go from red plum into darker fruit, black cherry liqueur and gravel. The entry is silky, immediately full-bodied and deeply concentrated. Black cherries, blackcurrants, plum, dark chocolate and molasses mingle with northern Rhône notions of graphite, spice and black olive. The intensity and round tannins give an impression of openness but the wine is tightly coiled. It finishes extremely long, with echoes of Saint-Joseph alongside soaring Barossa fruit.  

Cellaring recommendation: 15 years+