This wine is a memorial to the majestic old vines which were tragically uprooted from their Barossa Valley earth during the infamous Vine Pull scheme of the 1980s. Our century old estate vineyard bears the name Black Sash and pays tribute to the survivors those vines which serve as a living reminder of the value of resilience in the face of adversity and the relevance of tradition in an environment of constant change . This evocative wine captures this spirit. It has been handcrafted with the use of traditional methods from the fruit of old vines and delivers a rich, opulent palate, a fleshy core of dark fruit sweetness and a finish of superb length.

SCHILD ESTATE Narrow Road Vineyard Shiraz Cabernet, Barossa Valley

Brothers at War Single Vineyard Barossa Valley Shiraz This old vine Shiraz is sourced from a single vineyard in the Lyndoch Ranges, in the south-west of the Barossa Valley. The fruit is fermented 20% whole bunch with the balance destemmed but not crushed. The wine is then hand plunged twice daily for three weeks before being pressed to French oak (50% new) hogsheads and aged on lees for 18 months before bottling without fining or filtration.

Strong Cabernet traits of black coffee, dark mint chocolate and earthy notes, whilst the Barossa Shiraz shines through the glass with aromas of plum, dark cherry and spice. Vibrant and complex, the Cabernet notes continue on the palate, whilst the thick and luxurious Shiraz provides lovely dark cherry and spice with a smook as cream finish.

Krondorf 121 Settlers Barossa Valley Shiraz The 121 Settlers Old Vine Shiraz is sourced from a single site at the cooler southern extremity of Barossa, in St. Jakobi, abutting the western ridge of the Lyndoch sub-zone. Here, a conflation of red clay and loam promotes earlier ripening, a mitigating factor against inclement weather and the growing risk of early season frosts that Climate Change has foisted upon us. As importantly these dense soils imbue the wines with a firm tannic carriage, ensuring passage to greater complexity in the cellar, while serving as a structural harness for typically exuberant Barossan fruit. The average age of the vines is in excess of 35 years, with gnarled octogenarian survivors among them. Yields are inherently low as the established root systems reach deep below the soils substrata in search of water and the requisite nutrients drawn through it. Yet the fruit that is produced is immaculate: vibrant, concentrated and firmly stamped with the regional postcode of generosity. The winemaking is dutifully sensitive, chaperoning the fruit from vineyard to bottle with minimal intrusion: gravity feeds, gentle pigeage and 16-18 months in used, rather than new, oak. The result is one of dark fruit allusions from plum to blackberry, underlain by a potpourri of spice including black pepper, clove and star anise, all melded to a pungent thread of mineral. The oak is apparent, but only as an adjunct to propel the finish long. As with many Barossan greats, the fruit weight allows for early appeal, albeit, this is a wine that will easily cellar for 15 years onwards.

Alkina Spice Garden Shiraz, Barossa Valley A very welcome inclusion into the Premium Barossa Shiraz Club, Alkinas Spice Garden is 100% organic and biodynamic certified Shiraz from one specific block from which they produced just 44 cases (and some rare magnums). It looks and tastes like a high-gear Barossa Shiraz, with all the ripeness and power matched with a unique minerality.

HENSCHKE Marble Angel Vineyard Cabernet, Barossa Valley