Magpie Hill Reserve Shiraz 2023

Appearance: medium to deep magenta, blood orange edges

Aroma: dark forest berries, blueberry, graphite, forest floor, blackberry bramble, white pepper, fresh violets, wet steel, cardamom, cedar bark, wet pine needle, green peppercorn, gun powder tea, cocoa powder

Palate: crunchy black and red currants, blood plum, umami, cured bresaola, soy, tannins are compact and emanate from mid palate outwards, juicy boysenberry, very fine grained dense tannins, salted pastrami, medium weight, complete structure, dark chocolate, fresh tobacco, gd length and finely poised, hint of tar and toasted spices

A cool dry winter gave way to a very wet and cool spring, topping up soil moistures but chilly periods led to issues with flowering resulting in low crops (up to 50% down). Slow vine growth indicated a late harvest yet the new year brought dry windy conditions, necessitating some targeted critical irrigation. Nets went on early to ward off hungry birds. Typical sporadic rain events peppered March and April, followed by a week of sunny, warm, breezy weather, perfect to pick fully ripe, clean red fruit through April.

Selectively harvested in the early morning in mid April, the fruit was cool when it arrived at the winery. It was destemmed into a closed top fermenter and allowed to cold soak naturally before the ferment proceeded, followed by daily gentle pumping over 1-3 times. Some post-ferment maceration ensued for complexity and structure, building complete tannins with intense colours for a total of 16 days on skins. The skins were then pressed gently, creating a powerfully complete yet refined wine.

Aged in 100% French oak (10% new, 50% once used) of 225L barriques and 300L hogsheads, for 14 months on fine lees. The larger format vessel allowed better integration and retention of greater freshness. Blending occurred with no fining and minimal filtration.