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2006 Heathcote Shiraz

Current Vintage 2006

The 2007 Shelmerdine Heathcote Shiraz is a vibrant red with purple tinges, an indication of the impressive concentration of aromas and flavours to come. The nose is redolent with dark berries, red fruits, cherries and spice; all the best of Christmas. The palate is a perfect balance of fruit, savoury notes, fine long tannins and acid. It does not have excessive ripeness, extraction or oak.

The Vineyard

The fruit for this wine is grown from our two vineyards at opposite ends of the Heathcote region; Merindoc Vineyard at Tooborac in the south, and the Willoughby Bridge Vineyard at Colbinabbin in the north. Merindoc Vineyard, with gravelly, low fertility ironstone soils provides minerality, structure and a cooler climate. Willoughby Bridge Vineyard is planted on the renowned Cambrian rich red dirt, one of the oldest soil types in Australia and renowned for the production of intensely flavoured Shiraz. Another warm and dry vintage gave us low yields of concentrated flavours.

The Winemaking

After hand-picking, the separate fruit parcels were given a short pre-fermentation cold soak before being crushed and open fermented at warm temperatures. The wine was hand-plunged twice daily during its six-day ferment to extract the desired levels of colour and flavour. After ferment the individual wines were pressed off into new and second year French oak barrels, for 13 months before blending and bottling under screwcap in April 2007.

Technical data

Composition: 99% Shiraz, 1% Viognier co-fermented
Alcohol: 14.0%
Standard Drinks: 8.3
pH: 3.44
TA: 6.8g/l