Vineyard notes and reviews by James Halliday

In small vineyards like ours, every year is different and so is every wine ...
but always with something in common. It's intriguing.

Our first vintage in 2004 was from the small house block (9 year old vines) and the first plantings on Block 1 of the main vineyard. The year brought just below average rain which we relied on as we had no irrigation. We mulched the top of Block 1 and only needed to hand water twice. Pity mulching is so labour intensive. Started using biodynamic preparations and agro-ploughed the inter-rows to aerate the soil, capture moisture and humus.

2004 Estate Syrah (Shiraz) - Drink 2015 14.4% alc. rated 90/100

Strong colour; abundant blackberry, plum and spice fruit; equally abundant tannins needed a little fining; nonetheless great value and potential.

The Spring before the 2005 vintage brought exceptionally good rains with over 60% of the annual average falling between July and December.  However, November and December brought humid weather with the threat of powdery mildew.  Fortunately, good airflow through the canopy prevented any fungal disease.  2005 had the coldest and wettest February on record, bringing with it a premature autumn in many vineyards, including ours.  Despite this, and probably because we bunch thin for low yield and maximum flavour, the grapes reached optimum ripeness and were harvested on March 26th.

2005 Estate Syrah (Shiraz)- Drink 2025 13.8% alc. rated 94/100

Intense blackberry, plum, licorice and prune on both bouquet and palate; excellent structure with ripe tannins and good length. Top-quality biodynamically grown wine.

2006 was a hot year, but we kept the canopy down to protect the grapes and we were very happy … no water in the dam but there was plenty of sunlight to ripen the grapes; a lovely low-yield crop with full- flavoured, small berries.

2006 Estate Syrah (Shiraz)- Drink 2016 14% alc. rated 92/100
Has a silky texture to the medium-bodied palate, where juicy red and blackberry fruits slide through to the finish and aftertaste.

The growing season for the 2007 vintage was tough.  Many lost their crop to frost including us, which is why we bought grapes from Sugarloaf to make our '07.  Sugarloaf had very little frost damage, and some very nice fruit that had reached its optimum ripeness (balanced Baumé and pH with good flavours) when we picked.  It was very interesting for us to make wine from another vineyard's grapes grown on different soils (volcanic compared to our clay loam over ironstone) ... both non-irrigated at that time ... and using different wine-making techniques.

2007 Sugarloaf Syrah (Shiraz) - Drink 2012 13% alc. rated 87/100

Light to medium-bodied palate; some elements of sweet and sour, moving from confit flavours on the mid-palate to a savoury finish.

In 2008, the grapes ripened steadily with a much milder Summer than previous years ... in fact it caught everyone by surprise, resulting in very full-bodied, intense wines.  We had a small crop after heavy pruning because of frost damage the year before ... but it was beautiful.
We have blended our Syrah with 30% Cabernet Sauvignon to make a complex, rich wine ... loads of black fruit, chocolate plums, cinnamon.

2008 Estate Syrah Cabernet blend 15% alc. rated 89/100

Tangy, spicy, minty characters run through the bouquet and palate attesting to the cool climate; savoury, herbal tannins on the finish accentuate the impact.
Silver medal in Australian Small Winemakers Show, 2009.

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon 15% alc.
Not yet reviewed
The Cabernet Sauvignon is delicious … rich dark chocolate, plums and caramel.

2009 was a difficult year, with a severe hail storm in September, the heat wave (we had 10 days in the mid 40's!) and then the fires.  A season we will never forget.  We were very lucky compared to others.  Many lost their crop to the heat … the grapes simply cooked on the vines.  We thought that our fruit may not ripen, even though it survived the hail and heat, but ripen it did ... and when tested, luckily we found no smoke taint.  The low yield and canopy management saved us and the small bunches were packed with flavour.

2009 Estate Syrah 14.5% alc.
Not yet released
Despite the difficult year, the '09 is shaping up to be a beautiful wine.