The Balthasar Shiraz, named after one of the three wise men, expresses the elegance, complexity and silky tannins of the cooler Eden Valley vineyards. Keeping a portion of the wine on skins for an extended period of time, the grapes are fermented in small open-top fermenters and then gently pressed in a traditional basket press to extract the softer tannins. The wine is then matured in French oak for 19 months, with only select barrels ending up in the final blend.

A voluptuous, plush style of shiraz with flavours of black pepper, blueberry pie and mulberries. The wine has amid palate that explodes right through the wine and some really interesting Christmas spice character from the oak. A benchmark Eden Valley Shiraz, this wine is immediately approachable yet can be cellared for up to 15 years. The soft silky tannin profile of this wine makes it an ideal accompaniment to a multitude of pork, game and red meat dishes.

2018 harvest was well and truly dry but produced quality with the help of water retained in the soils from rainy months leading up to vintage. Crops were well down on the bumper 2017 vintage, but only slightly below the long-termaverage. Summer and early Autumn were unusually dry, requiring supplemental irrigation to all vineyard sites. The low disease pressures associated with dry, warm conditions coupled with the cool night-time temperatures allowed the vines to produce fruit with exceptional character and flavour while being harvested at lower degrees of sugar ripeness, generally producing vibrant, balanced, lower-alcohol styles.

APPEARANCE: Dark violet purple

NOSE: Cracked black pepper, blueberry pie, mulberry and a hint of milk chocolate with a Christmas spice complextiy.

PALATE: Milk chocolate and coffee bean undertones; little bit of vanilla and all spice on finish.

FOOD MATCH: Matches well with charrred red meats and veggies.