Old Salem Shiraz 3L

A bright nose of plum and blackcurrant with fresh spice. The palate holds flavours of dark berries and dark chocolate. New and seasoned French oak provides balance and support to the intensity of fruit.

Download Tasting Notes for 2019 Vintage

Vintage

2019

Grape variety breakdown

The individual parcels of fruit are vinified in small stainless steel fermenters with gentle extraction of tannins, then aged in new and second-use French oak hogsheads for 18 months.

Technical Details

Alcohol: 14.5% | pH: | Acidity: | Volume: 3000mls

Maturation

18 months

Background

The Old Salem Barossa Shiraz takes its name from the Old Salem Lutheran Church, which was built with humble claystone in 1856. The church was destroyed in the flood of 1946, but it lives on in the memorial stone laid in our neighbouring vineyard and in the grapes harvested from it, which are incorporated with carefully selected premium grapes from other longstanding Barossa family growers to create this distinctive Barossa Shiraz.

Cellaring potential

Enjoy now or will reward with medium to long term careful cellaring.

Food Matching

A special occasion wine, best enjoyed for large celebrations.

Bouquet

This rich Shiraz has an intense nose of satsuma plum, blackberry and hints of spice.

Vineyard Notes

Stockwell Old Salem Vineyard dark and heavy soils allowing depth and concentration of berry fruit. Intense soil equals intense flavour. Bunches dropped to ensure concentrated, inky and high quality berries.

The 2019 growing season was a challenging one for the Barossa Valley. Lower than average rainfall was experienced across the year. Winter rain was 77% of the long-term average, spring 24% of average and summer just 31%. The region also experienced significant frost events in September and November, as well as a hailstorm later in November. January heat gave way to a cooler February and March, which provided ideal conditions for the small crops to ripen evenly and quickly. In spite of the significant challenges of the season, fruit quality was exceptional. Flavour and phenological development was synchronous with sugar ripening, allowing harvest for most vineyards by the end of March, one of the earliest finishes on record. Shiraz wines produced from the exceptional fruit of 2019 exhibit great depth of colour, with intense, concentrated varietal fruit flavours and firm, structural tannins which will mellow and soften with careful cellaring