A cold and wet winter allowed the vines to replenish themselves and provided enough water to survive the growing season without irrigation –almost unheard of in Australia in the past twenty years. Early spring (September) brought further rains and higher than average temperatures. The vines drank and grew! The fruit set was outstanding, and we looked forward to good and even ripening. October and November were cooler than average, the coldest since 2003, which allowed the grapes to ripen slowly, developing extraordinary complexity and fruit character. Summer was warm but with cooler than average nights, which again gave the vines an opportunity to rest and build acidity and structure.

Early autumn (March) was warm, and the grapes reached full maturity 4-6 weeks later than 2015, almost to the average harvest date of 20+ years ago.

The upshot of this is a vintage that was allowed to develop slowly and is one of fruit ripeness balanced by excellent acidity and structure. The white wines are sure to be full and rich with great minerality and freshness, while the red wines will have that important and much sought after balance between ripe fruit, tannin, acidity, and alcohol.

Our Shay’s Flat Vineyard vines were ready to go in late March and the quality of the fruit was outstanding with a beautiful balance between freshness and maturity.

Grapes are destemmed. Wild yeast fermentation takes place in concrete or stainless-steel tanks. A long maceration (from 4 to 5 weeks) and a gentle work on the marc allow the extraction of fine and elegant tannins.

The wine is aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. A small proportion of the wineis aged in tanks to preserve the freshness of the flavors.

The Shay’s Flat vineyard is located on an east facing ridge in the southern Pyrenees foothills. It appears as a natural amphitheater with red podzolic soils overlying on a soil of ironic schists and quartz.. The vineyard features ten hectares of shiraz in two parcels.

Alcohol by Volume: 14.5%
pH: 3.73
Total Acidity: 5.69 g/L

Grapes are harvested at maturity avoiding over maturation.  Grapes are destemmed and fermented in concrete or stainless steel tanks. A long maceration (from 4 to 5 weeks) and a gentle work on the marc allow the extraction of fine and elegant tannins.  The wine is aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. A small proportion of the wine is aged in tanks to preserve the freshness of the flavors.

The Shay’s Flat vineyard is located on an east facing ridge in the southern Pyrenees foothills. It appears as a natural amphitheater with red soils of schist, quartz and rich clay. The vineyard features ten hectares of shiraz in two parcels.

Alcohol by Volume: 14.5%
Residual Sugar: 1.0 g/L
pH: 3.73
Total Acidity: 5.69 g/L