FIRST DROP Mothers Milk Shiraz 2012

G r a b

Slurpy, savoury and textured – no sledgehammer, so drink up!

S p i e l

Not a sledgehammer style, this Barossa Shiraz is made for drinking! Soft, slurpy and

textured it is balanced with good acidity, which refreshes the palate and makes you

go back for a second / third glass. Sourced from 2 unique vineyards, it is fruit laden,

savoury and dangerously easy to drink! It is matured for 15 months in 100% old

French oak hogsheads to allow the fruit to express itself.

Co l o u r

Garnet red with purple hues

B o u q u e t

A complex nose of dark cherry and blackberry aromas with a hint of forest floor and

spice

Pa l a t e

Vibrant dark cherry and blackberry with a hint of ‘wombat rolled in all spice’

balanced with an even, textural palate with soft, supple tannins

G r u b M a t c h

Rump steak, mushroom sauce, chips and salad – say no more!

Ce l l a r i n g

Drink up, but also a 5-8 year proposition.

V i n t a g e

We received some of the best winter rains for five years that refilled soil profiles and

replenished empty irrigation dams. Hooray! But an unseasonal seven day burst of

hot weather in early November during flowering, reduced fruit-set and led to

variable yields. Boo! Weather conditions through the ripening months of February

and March were ideal with warm sunny days and relatively cool nights. Hooray!

Although rain events in April kept us on our toes. Boo! So the10 vintage ‘wasn’t all

beer and skittles’. The variable ripening made it tough to decide when to pick, but

experience and sorcery got us through, resulting in some solid booze in the winery.

Hooray!

V i n e y a r d

Matt’s vineyard is just west of Gomersal in the west of the Barossa -

180m above sea level on deep red clay

Peter and Joel’s vineyard is in the east of the Barossa up at Wilton in Eden Valley –

550m above sea level on clay over ironstone and quartz

V i n i f i c a t i o n

The fruit is crushed/destemed and fermented at temperatures ranging from 20-

25°C for 6 days on skins. The ferment is managed by a variety of techniques,

including ‘aerative pump overs’ and ‘drain and returns’ which assist in extracting

colour, flavour and tannin from the grapes. At the end of fermentation, it is

drained/pressed, and transfered to 3 and 4 year old French oak hogsheads to

undergo MLF. Post MLF, sulphur dioxide is added, and the wines mature sur lie for 15

months. This wine was bottled in July 2011. (winery notes)