Firebird Shiraz

Download Tasting Note PDF

 2007
 Adelaide Hills
 14%
 6.4 g/L
 3.5

Shiraz grown in cool-climates such as the Adelaide Hills is beginning to establish a name for a style that displays elegance, subtle richness and savoury characters. Our vineyard is a perfect site for growing Shiraz in the Adelaide Hills and allows for the crafting of a wine with elegance and finesse with developed ripe characters while retaining typical cool-climate characteristics.

Viticulture
The 2007 Shiraz is a single-vineyard wine sourced solely from our 1 hectare narrow-row and closely planted Shed Block. The Shed Block is planted to 4,444 vines per hectare compared with the traditional 1,667 vines per hectare. Each year the low-yielding vines are shoot and bunch thinned and then hand picked to encourage flavour retention and colour intensity. The 2007 season was a warm, exceptionally dry and early year. Yields were low due to poor fruitset and harvest was mid April well before the beginning of autumn rains.

Winemaking
Winemaking responsibilities rest with Peter Leske with support provided by Mark Kozned. Peter’s two decades of experience with one of the Adelaide Hills most renowned wineries provides the platform for the production of our premium cool climate wines. The wine was cold soaked for 5 days prior to yeast inoculation. The ferment took place in 2 tonne fermenters over 12 days with daily hand plunging at least twice a day prior to pressing. All pressings were combined with the free-run wine and transferred to French oak barrels for aging for up to 18 months. Uninoculated malolactic fermentation was completed in May 2007, the barrels were racked once in October 2007 and then again prior to bottling without fining.

Tasting Notes
The final wine exhibits a deep red-brick colour with purple hues on the edge. There is a rush of red fruits and black pepper aromas on the nose. The palate displays sweet cherries, blackberries, dark fruits and mocha which are all balanced with the textured tannins and supported by the judicious use of new and old French oak barrels. The wine is ready to drink now and will cellar well and reach its full potential in 10 to 15 years.

REVIEWS AND AWARDS