Nick tells you about the All Saints Estate Old Vine Shiraz that turned 100 years old this year.
The fruit was hand picked from our antique vines originally planted in 1920 and delivered to the winery for processing. The fruit was crushed into our 7 tonne open vats and inoculated for fermentation. The cap was hand plunged two-three times a day during the fermentation till completion. Pressing was in our 1883 hand-cranked wooden basket press with the wine sent to oak for maturation. The finished wine was matured in 2-3 year old French oak barriques for 24 months.
With deep red colour and intense aromas of crushed berries and dried herbs, this is a classic Rutherglen Shiraz. Richly flavoured with spicy plum, dark ripe fruits and savoury spice from maturation in French oak. The finish is long and elegant with the delicate fruit flavours lingering.
It is a long held truth in the Old World wine regions that the local wines and local foods go together. Australia is beginning to understand this and we are seeing many local wines well suited to local produce. Here in the Rutherglen region one of the great matches is our Shiraz with locally reared Rutherglen Lamb.