1998 Rosemount Estate Grenache Shiraz

Medium weight, mauve crimson colour. Delightful inky fresh raspberry, spice nose. Youthful palate with confectionary, raspberry jube flavours. Lively with some inky Shiraz and liquorice on the back palate. Soft tannins with long inky raspberry and liquorice aftertaste. Drink over the next 1-2 years.

ROSEMOUNT ESTATE TASTING NOTES.

WINEMAKER: Philip Shaw

ORIGIN: Grenache is one of wine's longest serving grape varieties, with plantings dating back into pre-history evidenced by its wide distribution today throughout the South of France and Northern Spain. In Australia, the variety was amongst the first to be planted in early viticulture over one hundred and fifty years ago, along with the classic Shiraz variety, also selected in those early years for its capacity to grow in warm, dry climates. The two varieties have often been combined and invariably create a delicious synergy of flavours, exemplified by this wine which draws upon the rich perfume and dusty, exotic spice characters of Grenache to complement the deep berry fruit and pepper flavours of Shiraz.

VITICULTURAL NOTES: 1998 in South Australia produced a somewhat condensed vintage, with cooler conditions in spring and early summer resulting in a later than normal start to the vintage, and a warm March accelerating final ripening to bring in the last of the fruit earlier than anticipated. Parcels of both Grenache and Shiraz were harvested showing mid-full colour, rich varietal flavour and well-rounded tannins. Selected parcels of fruit for this wine were also drawn from vineyards in North West Victoria, again showing good varietal flavour. In selecting the components for this wine, Philip Shaw looked for Grenache with richness and varietal intensity, with Shiraz contributing firmer tannins, a well-defined pepper character and depth of colour.

WINEMAKING NOTES: The component wines were handled separately, with the Grenache being warm fermented at around 30oC to optimise richness and soft tannin extraction, and the Shiraz fermented in closed tanks at a cooler 22oC with frequent pumping over to maintain the plummy, peppery lifted characters of the fruit.Both wines were taken off skins towards the end of fermentation to avoid excess tannin extraction and emphasise the aromatics and varietal richness, integral to the nature of the final wine style. The wine was blended in the proportions of 65% Grenache to 35% Shiraz and oak matured for three months prior to bottling to give weight, complexity and structure to the finish.

TASTING NOTE: The wine has a bright, medium-ruby appearance and displays an appealing aroma, mixing dusty spices and sweet, summer fruits such as of raspberries and cherries with a subtle hint of savoury American oak. The palate is generous and soft, with bright, sweet fruits and a well-defined spicy back-palate, particularly typical of the Grenache variety. The wine is nicely supported by the subtle softness of toasty oak which sustains it in a long, well rounded finish.