2020 Gibson The Dirtman Shiraz

Rob Gibson’s story began in the early 1980s when Penfolds Chief winemaker formulated a project to identify the very best quality Shiraz grapes for Grange Hermitage. This ground breaking work developed new assessments about the production of the best Shiraz and connected vineyard block characteristics at verasion and again prior to harvest with the resultant wine characters and wine value. Gibson led the project until he left to start 'Gibson Barossavale Wines' in 1997. He earned the nickname ‘Dirtman’ because of his obsession about vine growth which led him to dig deep pits in between vines in order to discover the secret workings of the root system and whether there is any correlation between soils, minerals and the ultimate quality of the wine.
Matured for 18 months in a mixture of new and used American and French oak hogsheads. Dense inky black in colour with a deep dark red black hue. Pronounced spicy dark plum and liquorice aromas meld into blackberry, smoky vanillin cedar, hints of fennel and blackpepper. Rich dark plum and liquorice fruits have a plush feel with blackberry, smoky vanillin oak, fennel and blackpepper characters lingering in the background. Velvet like tannin structure with a medium to long dark fruited conclusion.
Drink over the next 5-6 years.
Alc. 14.5%