17th February. And with that... we were off.
It has been some years since I've picked grapes and it's all rosy in retrospect. Today we were back in the real world. Early starts. Vineyard spiders. Sharp snips. Lower back pain.
But amongst the glorious vines in Stone Well it's all worthwhile as the four of us work our way across four rows of superb Shiraz. With the remainder of the vineyard being picked later this parcel of fruit is destined to be fermented stems and all as wholebunch in a mini-foudre (800L French oak barrel).
This was the first pick of many in what is proving to be a vintage of great potential for us. Roussanne has arrived into the winery now and Pinot Noir is just around the corner. Let's get some!
2017 Michael Hall Barossa Valley Shiraz, Stone Well
Buy it here
"Medium garnet colour to the rim. Blue fruits, beef tartare and oyster-brine aromas. Deep and more savoury than sweet. Iodine, blood and bone mix with ripe but subtle blue fruits. With all that savoury the tannins are remarkably fine, caressing it all to the finish with aplomb. Very long and lingering. Straddles the new and old Barossa styles. Would definitely benefit with time in a decanter and a good steak to hand.”
Stuart Knox, The Real Review
The Triangle Block vineyard lies on the boundary of the Stone Well and Seppeltsfield sub-regions. It has a gentle northerly aspect and is coloured terracotta red by the distinct, iron-rich soils over clay found in parts of the western ridge and northern Barossa. Abundant winter rain followed by a cool spring and summer heralded a late vintage. Hand-picked on 15th March, all destemmed, wild fermented in open fermenter, matured for 21 months in French oak (29% new, Saint Martin), unfiltered.
14.0% alc/vol. 2730 bottles produced.
Introducing our Stagiaire for 2021...Olivia!
Growing up in the picturesque town of Angaston, Olivia still calls the Barossa home. After completing a Bachelor in Visual Arts at the University of South Australia, Olivia is now working towards her Masters in Wine Business at the University of Adelaide.
Having sunk her feet into Pinotage and Chenin Blanc at Radford Dale in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 2019 she then went on to immerse herself in Syrah and Roussanne while working a vintage at Domaine Combier in Crozes-Hermitage in the Northern Rhone, France.
Olivia is thrilled to be back in a winery and eager to get her hands and feet dirty helping to craft the 2021 vintage wines.
Committed Michael Hall Wine Nerds will note that this is our third stagiaire called Olivia. Maybe there's something in it...
With new releases to taste and stories to share we look forward to welcoming you soon.
Phillip
