Nose
Lush, rich plums and black cherry with vanilla and black pepper spice.
Palate
A delicate Shiraz with primary fruit notes of blackberry followed by hints of nutmeg, & smooth, dark, velvet chocolate.
Growing Conditions
The Mount Barker and Porongurup regions experienced warm to hot conditions throughout the 2012 vintage. The effect of little spring or summer rain was intensified by hot spells throughout March. With soil moisture very low, the cooler south facing vineyard sites did receive some reprieve off the southern ocean. This relief was however limited as the seasonal on shore streams that deliver coastal drizzle and cooler conditions across the region, appeared weaker than normal. These warmer than average conditions did accelerate ripeness and allowed red varieties to be harvested earlier as mature flavours, tannin and intense colour were evident at lower Baume’s. The wines produced from the 2012 vintage are full of bright fruit flavours, good acidity and ripe tannins.
Winemaking
Harvest of the 2012 Flint Rock Shiraz occurred in late March. Vinification occurs in small open vat and closed stainless steel fermenters with diligent cap management to extract fine fruit tannin and strong varietal flavour. Each vineyard block is retained and managed separately throughout vinification and maturation in order to build a grape and wine history of the vineyards over time. Selected vats are run to barrel at 2 to 3º Be to capture new barrel characters from the final few degrees of fermentation. The remaining blocks are pressed at dryness to retain fruit vibrancy. Oak maturation is for 15 months in a combination or new and old French and American oak. The wine was blended in September 2013 after egg white fining and light filtration, and bottled.
Appearance
Deep and dense garnet.
Food Pairing
Slow roasted Pork Belly with Sage.
