Greenock Creek Shiraz 2019

blackberry preserve, cooked raspberry, fennel seed, milk chocolate, and black pepper

It is no exaggeration to say that Greenock Creek is one of the defining names in Australian Shiraz. Founded by the Waugh family in 1988, the Greenock Creek philosophy revolves around the Old World idea that good wine is made in the vineyard, and the job of the winemaker is to express that in as few additional steps as possible.

The Greenock Creek estate vineyards are located in three of these recognized sub-zones, all along the western edge of the Valley: Seppeltsfield, Moppa, and Marananga. To make this wine, the fruit is brought to Greenock Creek and de-stemmed by hand. A unique feature at the winery is their stone fermenters, made from slate and buried in the ground, a natural method of temperature control dating back a millennia. A wooden basket press is utilized for gentle extraction. Once fermented dry, the wine is matured in a combination of new French and gently used American oak for the better part of 20 months. Like all Greenock Creek wines, it is bottled unfiltered and with minimal intervention.

When you open this wine, I strongly suggest decanting for up to an hour, as this wine has quite a bit of tannin structure and will show much better with some time to open up. Drink now through 2030 with lamb chops with mint chutney, charcuterie with plenty of olives, or bacon cheeseburgers.