Summary: For a small winemaker, Woods Crampton has achieved a lot in a small amount of time. Part of the Barossa new wave, Woods Crampton make contemporary wines, balancing character, complexity and freshness, a world away from the fruit bombs of the past. The Woods Crampton Black Label range are single vineyard wines made in small volumes. Where we started and In many ways the core of the brand. 

 

Vineyard: Sourced from an established vineyard situated at almost the highest point in the Eden Valley, over 600m in altitude and right in the heart of the valley’s finest vineyards. 

 

Winemaking: The fruit was hand harvested early in the morning into small bins

before rapid transportation to the winery. Following a chill overnight at seven degrees overnight the fruit was whole bunch pressed. Only the finest free run, less than five hundred litres per tonne was used. The fermentation was very cool, at around twelve degrees, and allowed to ferment to bone dry. The absence of the influence of solids is crucial to the purity of the style. 

 

2017 Vintage: 2017 saw a return to vintage conditions not commonly seen for over two decades. A very wet winter followed by a cool summer with few spikes of heat meant that vintage as up to a month later than what has been common recently. A dry and consistently moderate autumn ensured the fruit was able to ripen slowly in ideal conditions. This “throwback” vintage will become famed for the quality and elegance of the fruit.

 

Tasting Note: Typically pale with glowing green highlights. The nose is tight and fresh with floral blossom and citrus aromas along with hints of green apple. The palate is tightly wound and again impressively pure with floral and citrus flavours giving definition by mineral and lime acidity before an impressively long finish. From an excellent vintage in a row of excellent vintages, this wine has an intensity, length and cellaring potential that is a level above.