De Bortoli Yarra Valley Estate Shiraz Viognier 750ml

89 Points
"De Bortoli winemaker, Stephen Webber operates on a somewhat contrarian level, so this is not a cuddly Shiraz-Viognier loaded with apricot notes. Instead, it features savory, meaty aromas lifted by peppery elements and black olive, espresso and tart plum flavors. It's medium bodied, firmly structures and should age through at least 2020."

Joe Czerwinski, Wine Enthusiast - USA, January 2011

Region
De Bortoli Estate Grown, Yarra Valley, VIC

Appearance
Bright red with purple edges.

Bouquet
Fragrant and aromatic with strong graphite and white pepper characteristics.

Palate
Rich spicy fruit with dark berries. Integrated ripe tannins, structured palate, supple feel and exotic complexity

Vintage Conditions
2007 was warm giving early development of fruit flavour at balanced alcohol levels. Good rain in late January and a dry end to the season.

Winemaking
Fruit is sourced from three estate vineyards planted in 1987, 1990 and 1994. Vines are cane pruned to 18 bunches per vine and shoot thinned at the 10-15cm stage so that there are no more than 15 bunches per vine. The vines are hand picked into 8kg buckets and transported to the winery.  Fruit is hand sorted and a combination of whole bunches, whole berries and crushed fruit is gravity tipped to open fermenters. Viognier (~5%) is sorted and gravity tipped also. The fruit is allowed to ferment naturally with indigenous yeast. Both hand and foot plunging are used to gently extract colour and flavour over 18-20 days. The grapes are pressed and settled for 24 hours before racking to cask (10% new) for mlF and maturation. After 10 months the wine is gravity racked and then bottled.

Wine Analysis
Alc/Vol : 13.0 %   pH : 3.58   TA : 6.0 g/L

Cellaring
This wine will continue to develop complexity for 4 to 8 years in a good cellar.

Suggested Cuisine
Slow cooked rabbit stew.

General Characteristics
Dry   Medium Bodied