Wolf Blass GREEN LABEL Shiraz South Australia - 2003
Where it's from:
>Australia
>South Australia
Price per case:
£61.44
Bottle size:
75 cl
Bottles per case:
6
Style:
Powerful Reds
Grapes:
Syrah (Shiraz)
Description:
A dense, vivid dark red in colour and a bouquet of subtle spice characters with nuances of chocolate and cedar. In the mouth it is full bodied with excellent ripe plum and raspberry flavours. This is a wine of great complexity and structure with its enormous richness and depth of flavour rounded off by soft tannins. The fruit is sourced from vineyards where yield is kept low, by careful canopy management, to ensure optimum flavour and colour. Fermentation begins in stainless steel tanks and completed in a combination of new and seasoned American Oak hogsheads before extended maturation in oak. Wolf Blass red wines are recognized the world over as displaying excellent flavour, complexity and structure.
The Grey Label Barossa/Clare/McLaren Vale Shiraz is rich deep crimson in the glass. Aromas of rich berry are given complexity by hints of pepper, spice and dark chocolate. The palate displays well-integrated fruit with soft tannins, a subtle touch of oak and a long, seamless finish. VITICULTURE The fruit for this wine was sourced from premium Shiraz vineyards in South Australia. Constant contact with Barossa, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale growers ensured that the fruit was carefully maintained to produce rich fruit bursting with flavour and varietal character. The range of vineyards and regions provided our winemaking team with many blending options. The Clare Valley fruit was rich and elegant with a tight minerally fragrance, the Barossa fruit added depth and richness to the palate and the McLaren Vale fruit was bursting with ripe, rich berry characters. The different regional fruit attributes complemented each other to produce a wine of great complexity. WINEMAKING Following crushing the wine was left to ferment on the skins for between five to seven days, allowing for the optimum release of colour and flavour. This technique maximised the intensity of fruit flavour without extracting excessive tannins to ensure that this wine is approachable in its youth, a hallmark of Wolf Blass wines. Individual parcels completed fermentation in new American and French oak. After racking the wine was returned to the original American and French oak barrels for 18 months maturation. After maturation our winemaking team carefully assessed each parcel before blending and bottling. CELLARING This wine displays rich fruit flavours in its youth and has been carefully blended to ensure soft tannins and drinkability. It will develop more aged characters over the next 10 years if carefully cellared. (6 x 75 cl)
Sauvignon provides vibrant tropical flavours while the Semillon contributes classic citrus character. The wine is fresh, fruity and clean with subtle nuances of spice. (12 x 75 cl)
A deep red colour with aromas of plum and red berry fruits. On the palate there are subtle mint and licorice flavours, with a soft mouth feel. Complementary oak gives this wine great structure and balance. (12 x 75 cl)
The Adelaide Hills Chardonnay is soft gold with a hint of green colour in the glass. Aromas of grapefruit and nectarine develop into a full, rich, yet elegant palate with varietal chardonnay flavours, a complex creamy texture and long finish. VITICULTURE The Adelaide Hills rise from an elevation of 400m and are a full two degrees cooler in summer than the Barossa Valley. The region also boasts a variety of soil types and misty wet weather during spring that prevents excessive fruit set. The fruit for this wine was sourced entirely from the Adelaide Hills. The vineyards used best display the qualities of this unique cool climate region; small yields of exquisite fruit, with all the finesse of the world’s best chardonnay. WINEMAKING The fruit from each vineyard was separately fermented with a combination of wild and cultured yeasts in new French oak. A portion of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation and lees stirring to add richness, complexity and mouthfeel to the wine. The individual vineyard parcels were then matured in French oak prior to final blending. The wine remained unfiltered until bottling, and was then bottled under screwcap to ensure freshness and preserve the characters of the wine. CELLARING The screwcap closure ensures the freshness and character of the wine is preserved and enables upright cellaring for longer periods. This wine is enjoyable now but will continue to improve with careful cellaring for years to come. (6 x 75 cl)
The Grey Label Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon is deep red in colour. The bouquet of rich berry fruit with aromas of spice, mint and eucalyptus is given complexity by hints of dark chocolate. These aromas develop on the palate, which is an elegant mouthful of flavour with soft, well-integrated tannins, subtle vanillin oak characters and a lingering finish. VITICULTURE The fruit for this wine was sourced from the outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards at Langhorne Creek. Langhorne Creek has long been the preferred region for Grey Label Cabernet Sauvignon as the rich, deep alluvial soils have been a maritime influence, producing fruit with great richness and depth of flavour. WINEMAKING Following crushing the wine was left to ferment on the skins for between five to seven days, allowing for the optimum release of colour and flavour. This technique maximised the intensity of fruit flavour without extracting excessive tannins to ensure that this wine is approachable in its youth, a hallmark of Wolf Blass wines. Individual parcels completed fermentation in new and seasoned French and American oak then wine was returned to the original oak barrels for 18 months maturation. After maturation our winemaking team carefully assessed each parcel before blending and bottling. (6 x 75 cl)