2015 The Bachelor Shiraz

Best served with grilled red meat, creamy and cheesy tomato based dishes.

16 Degrees Celcius.

Up to 10 years will see the wine develop from its dark fruit-packed youth to a softer more complex and nuanced maturity.

Background/Story:

This is a fruit-driven Shiraz with all the ripe black fruit flavours we’ve come to expect from the Barossa Valley favourite.                                                                         

As with all Atze’s wines, this has been made using the traditional artisan approach - destemmed without crushing, delicately moved to the fermenter to keep the grapes intact, hand pumped over and basket pressed to create a pure and expressive wine.

Cold soaked on skins to extract colour and extended skin contact after fermentation for a total of 16 days adds structure and weight to the palate. Gently pressed and allowed to undergo secondary fermentation in Oak barrels.
12 months in American and French oak barrels.

Vineyard:

Located in the iconic sub region of Koonunga and Ebenezer this is from one of the Barossa Valley’s most prized grape growing regions. The ancient soils in this area restrict the vines growth and give us a wine high in intensity and concentration.

Vintage:

2015 saw a warm dry summer with low yields and early ripening, full bodied Shiraz with black fruit characters.

This is a red which is made to be enjoyed with umami-
rich foods; think pizza Margherita and mushroom risotto.

15 Degrees Celcius.

Drink now until 2023.

Background/Story:

The Mob Single vineyard. Very limited edition (only 200 dozen bottles). And, with a story to match its extravagance. In its infant year, a group of sheep, affectionately named “The Mob”, squeezed through a hole in the vineyard fence. What happened then was nothing short of a tragedy, and almost proved to be fatal for this tiny patch. They ravished the whole plot. But, don’t despair. Three years later and the first crop of grapes to be delivered from these tough young vines are second to none. That’s what growing on iron stone and red clay does for you. Deeply coloured, as we all love our Barossa reds to be, with brisk acidity and fine, savoury tannins and the grape’s characteristic cherry and bramble fruit.

15 months 3rd and 4th fill mix of French and American
Oak Hogsheads to give subtle hints of oak and soften our the chewy raw tannin.

Vineyard:

1 Ha single vineyard. Soil: Scattered Iron Stone/Shallow clay loan top soil over deep red clay. Site: East Facing Slope

Vintage:

Low Yelds of 2.5 tonne/acre and a dry summer with a warm February and mild March saw early ripening and beautifully developed blue fruit flavours

Grilled or roast beef and lamb. Big beefy stew, venison or a mellow blue cheese.

18 Degrees Celcius.

The 2016 vintage is a big and powerful vintage and the Forgotten Hero Shiraz shows it in spades. This wine will cellar for 20 + years.

Background/Story:

Forgotten Hero is sourced from a stunning vineyard planted by the Atze family in 1951; a survivor of the infamous vine pull scheme of the 1980s. 5th generation Barossa Valley and long haul grape growers, John and Barb Kalleske, rescued the old block in 1983 and have nurtured its vines ever since.
Once a Forgotten Hero three decades ago, this low yielding block now provides me with intensely flavoured grapes for this classic Barossa Shiraz. Due to the tiny size of this vineyard and the low yields, less than 70 cases are bottled in any one vintage.

21 days extended maceration time on skins.
Primary and secondary fermentation in oak Barrels.    24 months in 100% new French oak Hogshead (300
litre) barrels.

Vineyard:

Planted 1951, Rows running North to South, Single
cordon spur vines. Sandy Loam over red –brown clay.

Vintage:

 A cool vintage which saw nice even and early ripening giving the wines great balance and powerful weight. Colour is excellent and the tannin profile ripe and smooth.