2020 Underhill Shiraz
Medal One
Medal Two
Perfumed cool climate Shiraz; deliciously medium bodied with a lick of aniseed spice. Bright red and blue plum fruits bring a fresh energy to the palate and some char and spice layering in structure and complexity. As always from this block we see some cured meat and a smoke-char interest driving the back palate. Medium weighted fruit with oak just a faint seasoning.
Reviews
Trophy Winner (Best Shiraz), Yarra Valley Wine Show 2021
Trophy Winner (Best Shiraz) – 2022 Winewise Championship
Gold Medal, National Wine Show of Australia 2023
Gold Medal, Royal Queensland Wine Show 2022
Gold Medal, Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2022
Silver Medal, Rutherglen Wine Show 2022
97 Points – Halliday Wine Companion 2023
97 Points – Huon Hooke, The Real Review
95 Points – James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
Winemaking
Hand-harvested, the bunches pass across a sorting table before processing either as whole bunches or whole berries. 50% of the block is fermented and matured in a second use 3500L upright oak cask containing 20% whole bunches and topped up for maturation with 100% whole bunch component. The remainder of fermentation in the Yarra Yering half-tonne open-fermenters, gently hand lunged twice daily. Air bag pressed to release the last fermenting juice from the many whole berries remaining. The wine then aged for 12 months; 50% in the 3500L one year old cask and 50% to French oak puncheons (500L); 10% new oak.
Technical Data
Varietals: Shiraz
Region: Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia.
Vines: A single block of Shiraz planted in 1973; 8 acres at the western extremity of the Yarra Yering vineyard.
Cellaring: One of the Yarra Yering wines to give itself up sooner rather than later it will often look wonderful at 5-10 years of age. This vineyard has a proven pedigree and it will continue to evolve for many more years under suitable cellaring conditions should you want to leave it for 10+ years.
Alcohol: 13.5%