Vintage 2023 - We Now Get Serious - Our First Shiraz
The Picking Crew Hard at Work - Excellent Crop in 2023
Vintage 2023
FINALLY SOME Red GRAPES FOR DRY RED WINE
After a long few weeks, today we picked our first red grapes destined for a dry red wine, Block 1 Shiraz from the Estate Vineyard in Stone Well.
In 2022 we picked this block on the 24th of March, a cool season or so they said, in 2023 we picked on the 3rd of April. The 2023 growing season was marked by later than typical rainfall and cooler temperatures in September and October 2022. The result, a slow start to the growing season but weather has been almost perfect, good crop levels and clean pristine shiraz fruit.
ESTATE SHiraz
My Little Hilux Ute back for another year in Vintage 2023
Our Estate Block in Stone Well in the Western Barossa Valley is a wonderful vineyard, planted in 1948 to Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro. Certified Organic. Certified Sustainable.
5 Shiraz Blocks, Block 1, Block 6, Block 9, Block 10 and Block 11. All very different, different aspects and different soil types and hence different resulting wines.
Block 1 and Block 9 often excel, but one runs North South (1), the other East West (9), one red earth of red clay (1), the other no topsoil but but on white clay and rock (9). 30m elevation difference. Such different resulting wines yet the grapes are grown only 100ms a part.
And the WINERY ADAPTS for DRY RED
After a slow start we will soon be in full swing. The familiar arrangement of a long line of fermenters, the crusher and presses working in sync will soon be away. The smells of vintage are with us and excitement levels are rising.
First Dry Red Grape Crush
What Next
We expect that Vintage 2023 will gain momentum now with both Grenache and Shiraz ripening in sync. Tomorrow we have the contour Shiraz and Grenache from the Fromm’s at Williamstown with more Estate Shiraz and Northern Shiraz and Grenache expected later this week. Busy times ahead!
