Invitational Shiraz • Riesling 2023
Whole berries of Shiraz were fermented on skins, lightly pressed and aged in seasoned French oak barrels for 10 months. Next, freshly squeezed Riesling was judiciously blended in to give lightness and brightness, creating a vibrant, fresh red designed to drink young and slightly chilled. Blended from estate fruit. 750ml
BOYSENBERRY • PINK PEPPERCORN • SUMMER RHUBARB
Accolades
93 points, Wine Pilot
Light and breezy young red with a clear message to drink through the next hot summer. Bright red berry characters of the Shiraz were gently pressed to old oak before a little freshly pressed Riesling was added to bring a floral influence that works so well. The colour is brilliant, and the light mouth feel just delicious.
90 points, Halliday Wine Companion
85.5/14.5% shiraz/riesling from 2023/2024 fruit, respectively. It's a bright and fresh, lighter-weight red wine with crunchy texture, red cherry, raspberry, pepper and minty elements joined by some mocha-choc powder elements, licorice and a curious, almost mandarin sweet-sour element. In all this, an original wine, vivacious and fun, though firm tannin profile and woody spices do reduce some of the energy of the wine. That being said, a warm day and a good chill and this wine is good to go.
90 points, The Real Review
Deep and bright purple-red hue; arresting bouquet of spices and very ripe raspberry and blackberry, almost jammy in its sweetness, some meaty cool-climate notes too, then the medium-intensity palate is undercut by vibrant acidity and fine grained tannins. Moderate length finish.
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Appearance: medium-deep magenta with purple edges
Aroma: lifted fresh mulberry, wild raspberry cane, crushed violets, dark chocolate, black cherry, savoury black pepper, dark baking spice
Palate: black cherry, mulberry, blackberry bramble, dark brooding, slightly herbal, crunchy fruit on palate, fine-boned, lithe and silky, dark earth, brooding fruit, savoury and complex, built for warm weather and good mates
A cool, dry winter gave way to a very wet and cool spring in the Porongurups, topping up soil moisture, but the 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 silvereyes and crows due to poor Marri blossom. Late March (a week later than the late 2022 vintage) saw the first Riesling come in with tiny yields of exceptional quality. Typical sporadic rain events peppered through March, with some large events happening in early April. By mid-April, we had a week of sunny, warm and breezy weather, perfect for our reds, allowing us to pick fully ripe, clean fruit until the end of April. An exceptional year of aching low yields giving complex and complete wines of detail and plushness.
The fruit was selectively harvested and picked in early April when optimum ripeness was reached. The fruit was destemmed into a closed top fermenter, draining juice at the crusher to concentrate the must. After several days of cold soaking, the must was allowed to warm and fermented with a selected yeast being pumped over 1-3 times daily. A further week of post-ferment maceration occurred to develop the complete tannin structure, and the tanks were pressed after 21 days on skins utilising a tank press with a basket press program minimising maceration. The wine was gently drained to seasoned French Oak barriques and aged for 10 months before being blended with 14.5% Riesling from the warm and juicy 2024 vintage and bottled in June.
This wine is blended for softness of tannin, crunchiness of fruit and vibrancy of aromatics, to be drunk chilled (or not!) and to be enjoyed in the warmth of the sunshine with some friendly company and thirsty palates.