[SOLD-OUT] Greenock Creek Apricot Block Shiraz 2016

"I can’t believe how beneath this thick violet cloak of dense, deep Shiraz, this feeling of apricot rises through the recent red alluvium where the old apricot orchard grew. Is it sometimes like grilled apricot kernels, sometimes like the odd soft-poached kernel left in bright jam or conserve with a twist of citrus rind. Long-time readers of these newsletters may recall my marvelling at how the early wines from this new vineyard smelled like they had a dash of Viognier, which of course they didn’t. People say Viognier smells like apricot. Sometimes, I agree. In Condrieu, in the northern part of the Rhône valley, some think Viogner goes best where the Romans grew apricots. I agree. Mystifying. No Romans here. Michael pulled out some apricot trees in the alluvium below Roennfeldt’s and grew these vines. I could never imagine him planting Viognier.

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There’s also a neat whiff of mint in the wine: the eau-de-Cologne or bergamot mint, Mentha citrata. How grovellously lucky we are to be sitting here wondering whether this incredible Barossa Shiraz contains bits of apricot or the distinctive flavouring of Earl Grey tea. The tannins, however are blacker and bluer and along the lines of Michael’s gunbarrel juniper. I don’t want to throw you right off direction, but these tannins are as fine as those that get through the stills into a bottle of good gin. They’re blue. It’s a colour, not a grain in this instance. As fine as light itself."

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Philip White

 

  Vegan-friendly  

Country:

Australia

Region:

SA- Barossa Valley

Variety:

Wine Red - Shiraz

Size:

750mL