Firstly, what is Syrah?
It is the French name for the Shiraz grape, and a favoured title in Australia now for cooler climate, perfumed and elegant wines, focussing on vineyard expression, not big body, richness, oak or alcohol. The Syrah style is mid weight, fruit energy (tannin and acid), foodie and texture driven. Syrah wines are delicious to drink on their own and age beautifully, a wee bit of a high wire act of tension and balance.
We thought a LOT about naming this wine Syrah, it is important to be true to the Syrah philosophy, but also make it attractive to emerging drinkers and not sound too toffy!
What set ours apart?
Well it was an amazing panel of tasters firstly, some of Australia’s best Syrah makers and educators, sommeliers and retailers.
Ours is a wine of place, firstly, telling the story of the country it sits on. However, the techniques in the wine shed for gentle, restrained extraction are also vital. One judge, Liinaa Berry noted “This wine shows progress in terroir expression combined with some thoughtful winemaking. There is juicy precision” ~ for us, this nails it.
This is our first vintage of this wine and we could not be happier about it. Will be hard to follow this one for sure, but we are always on the edge here. Stay tuned.
Read more about the Young Gun Award here:
Our 2021 Adelaide Hills Syrah is available from our Willunga cellar door and online.
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