Summary: For a small winemaker, Woods Crampton has achieved a lot in a small amount of time. “The straight men of the Barossa new wave” Woods Crampton make contemporary and balanced wines, a world away from the fruit bombs of the past.. 

Vineyard: Sourced from the Blenkiron Vineyard, a truly pedigreed, low-yielding, sixty year old vineyard on its own rootstocks within the Eden Valley. Hand picked at less than two tonnes per acre.

Winemaking: Made using Burgundian techniques and a “hands-off” philosophy. The fruit is hand-picked, given an overnight chill before a cold-soak for seven days at seven degrees. The fruit is primarily de-stemmed and allowed to reach ambient temperature before transferred to two-tonne fermenters with 25% whole bunches laid across the bottom.

A very slow, cool ferment with the cap held down and hand plunging twice daily. At two grams the ferment was pressed in a very old, very gentle pneumatic press to a settling tank to finish fermentation.

The fruit was racked to medium and large format french oak, about 50% new, and topped every six weeks but not racked or stirred for 18 months. The wine was not fined, given a coarse filtration and a dash of sulphur before bottling.

2017 Vintage: Winter and Spring of 2016 was much wetter than usual lifting the soil moisture levels for the region. December, January and February were all cooler than usual which prolonged the ripening period by 2-3 weeks. The slower ripening for the berries ensured a greater accumulation of complex character development that winemakers are often lauding in the better years. The fruit reached optimal flavour and
tannin ripeness and will contribute to making very good wines.

Tasting Note: Rich, dark and brooding – riper than 2014 but still displaying a “cool climate” profile and whole bunch aromatics. The palate is beautifully balanced and effortless with a core of powerful blue berried fruit / ripe plums and exotic spice. The class of the wine is evident in the wine impressive length and finesse flowing to a bright and precisely detailed finish  defined by fine silky tannins. This wine will unveil its true character over the next twenty years if carefully cellared. 

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Woods Crampton Frances & Nicole Eden Valley Shiraz Tasting Note 2017

Woods Crampton Frances & Nicole Eden Valley Shiraz Bottle Image