1997 Saltram No. 1 Shiraz

Notes sourced from Southern Cross Wines.

Saltram No. 1 Shiraz stands proudly as one of the genuinely great Barossa Valley Shiraz wines. Since its first vintage in 1993 the No. 1 has won 23 gold medals at major Australian wine shows. With a long pedigree of making the finest Shiraz wines in the valley, Saltram chooses only the most intensely flavoured fruit for this wine. The wine has been matured in American and French oak that on release is beginning to become fully integrated.

Selected Shiraz fruit from many of the best, old, low yielding vines in the Barossa Valley have been used for this wine. Saltram prides itself on using the best fruit available for the No.1, and stringent criteria are in place for the growersincluding yield restriction and watering limits. 1997 was a good year in the Barossa, following on the heels of the excellent ’96.

The grapes were de-stemmed then fermented in old style 8 tonne open fermenters using ‘heading-down’ boards, pressed, then transferred into new American (70%) and French (30%) oak Barriques and Hogsheads where it was matured for 24 months.

A youthful crimson hue shrouds the deep, dark plum colour. Intense aromas of blackcurrant, spices, licorice andchocolate are well balanced by savoury and coffee bean oak characters. On the rich, full-bodied palate there is ripe, spicy, varietal fruit and coffee oak flavours all interwoven with earthy complexities. The palate has a wonderful texture and finely grained drying tannins in a very long finish. Built to last, this is a robust and intense young wine that will develop for the next 10 years. 13.8% alcohol volume.