Tasting Note
Red and black berries with underlying black pepper and smoked meats. The structure and great length lend themselves elegantly to the lingering ripe black fruits, oak spice and sweet vanilla of this wine.

This is a powerful wine, but with real definition, that has maintained its strong following for nearly 15 years. Those that have tasted it can attest to its spiritual abilities. Stephen Black, the owner and winemaker, was in the pharmaceutical business before he got into wine. The graphic designers who helped with the label tried to create a link between his original career and his current desire to make great wine. Thus the beginning of any good blend is referring to your trusty Little Book for a tried and true recipe. Sourced mainly from the house vineyards close to the winery (Darren Zimmerman’s Marananga Vineyards), and the small remainder from vineyards in South Australia. Barossa’s 2019 wines will be sought out early, following the lowest yielding – but possibly the highest quality – vintage of the past decade. The lack of rainfall meant Barossa’s vineyards hardly experienced any disease pressure this season. The lower yields have resulted in Barossa Shiraz with great color, intense flavors and firm tannin structure.

The fruit is de-stemmed into medium sized stainless steel fermentation vessels, temperature controlled and pumped over the skins twice a day for 5-7 days allowing for maximum extraction. The wine is then pressed off skins and into stainless steel tanks where a natural secondary ferment will occur (MLF). Once completed, the wine is racked and sulfured into a mixture of seasoned French and American oak where it is aged for three years before bottling.

Stats
Grapes: 100% Shiraz
Vineyard: 95% Marananga Vineyards
(Barossa Valley) - 5% South Australia
Vine Age: 21-years-old (Marananga
Vineyards)
Soil Type: Varied: Primarily deep,
brown loam with heavy clay
Viticulture: Conventional &
Sustainable
Fermentation: Inoculated - stainless
steel (100% whole-berry)
Skin Contact: 3-5 days
Aging: 3 years in 300L aged French
and American oak barrels
Alcohol: 15.5%
pH: 3.42
Total Acidity: 7.1 g/L
Total SO2: 210 ppm
Total Production: 1,000 cases
UPC: 9331589000305