Bachelor's Block Single Site Shiraz, 2018

Complex and savoury with hints of graphite, liquorice, spice and blackberry. Well balanced with dense, smoky black fruits and beautifully polished tannins that provide a mouth-filling, succulent and energetic finish.

Meet the maker: Thistledown

Region: Ebenezer, Barossa Valley, South Australia - Australia

Grape(s): Shiraz (100%)

14% ABV / 750ml / Vegetarian / Vegan

Viticulture:

The first single site release and a wine that sets the benchmark for contemporary fine wine from the Barossa.

Produced from hand-picked fruit from a defined part of one single block in the revered Ebenezer sub-region.

Bachelor's Block effortlessly blends precise picking times (to preserve the fresher aromatics), whole-bunch natural fermentations, gentle vinification with extended time in fine French hogsheads to yield a wine of taut power, finesse and savoury freshness.

Winemaking:

The fruit was left to cold soak for a couple of days before the natural fermentation began.

Around 40% whole-bunches were used in the ferment, which was hand plunged twice daily.

Post-ferment maceration lasted a further five days before pressing to 300-litre French hogsheads (33% new oak), where it lay for 16 months before bottling.