Waterwheel Estate Red 2021

Blackberry Preserve, Cassis, Licorice, Black Pepper

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"The ancestral homeland of this grape is France’s Northern Rhone Valley, where Syrah is used to produce intensely tannic, long-lived and peppery wines. Hermitage, a wine produced from the tiny village of Tain-l’Hermitage, takes its name from a tiny hillside chapel built by a returning crusader. It is this tiny village, and it’s legendary wines, that introduced many foreign visitors to this grape, including Thomas Jefferson and, in 1831, the Scotsman James Busby. James Busby was a schoolteacher and diplomat living in Sydney at the time. In 1831, on a return trip to England, he decided to pursue a degree in oenology and threw himself full-force into the study of wine. He traveled to Spain and France, researching climate, terroir, and the noble grapes of each region, focusing on warm-climate grapes that would be suitable for growing in Australia. When he reached the Northern Rhone that summer, he became enamored with Syrah, and brought several cuttings back to display in the botanical gardens of Sydney. Within 20 years, the grape saw prolific planting in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney, and widespread popularity as a commercial grape in South Australia.

January, 2021 Australian Shiraz was praised for its full body and robust fruit flavors which set it apart from its French counterpart, becoming popular throughout the British Empire. Most modern-day Shiraz is produced in South Australia, which is home to both the world-famous Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale wine regions. South Australia’s proximity to the Southern Ocean and low humidity are ideal growing conditions for the grape. However, to the east is the province of Victoria and the Bendigo wine region, which benefits from several geological advantages of its own. With warm, sunny days and cool nights, the region’s high diurnal range enables grapes to ripen slowly and evenly throughout the lengthy growing season. In addition, the close proximity of the Loddon river allows for reliable and cost-effective irrigation. Water Wheel Vineyards, a Bendigo staple for over 40 years, uses these natural advantages to produce an intense, fruit-forward Shiraz from small batches of estate-grown fruit. Water Wheel, founded in 1970, has focused on high-acid whites and robust reds such as Shiraz since its inception. Owner Peter Cumming often jokes that his wines are designed to pair with “both food groups, beef and lamb.” These Shiraz vines are grown in Bendigo’s signature clay soils, and receive precision drip irrigation from the Loddon River to conserve water. For this wine, the Shiraz Plus, 40-year-old Shiraz vines from the winery’s original plantings are blended with Malbec, for additional color and tannin, and Cabernet Sauvignon, which is picked earlier to provide natural acidity. The wine undergoes full malolactic conversion before spending 6 months in lightly used American oak barrels, then lightly filtered before bottling." - JP Donnelly-Davis