Wirra Wirra Woodhenge Shiraz 2018 (Australia)

Wirra Wirra Woodhenge Shiraz 2018 (Australia)American & French oak Fruitcake Dark chocolate & cedar Grainy tannins Deep ruby in colour with purple hues. Offers an enticing array of dark red, blue and black fruits think plums, blackberries and a hint of fruitcake. Add to this notes of liquorice, spicy oak, dark chocolate as well as cedar and leather. Bright raspberry freshness blends with the darker fruits, cacao and spice. The concentration of fruit combines with delicious, grainy tannins to

• American & French oak
• Fruitcake
• Dark chocolate & cedar
• Grainy tannins

Deep ruby in colour with purple hues. Offers an enticing array of dark red, blue and black fruits - think plums, blackberries and a hint of fruitcake. Add to this notes of liquorice, spicy oak, dark chocolate as well as cedar and leather. Bright raspberry freshness blends with the darker fruits, cacao and spice. The concentration of fruit combines with delicious, grainy tannins to give a viscosity to this textured and brooding wine. With savoury notes and bright acidity, it is a mouthful that remains vibrant to the finish.

Woodhenge is a monument to ‘big’ ideas and to Greg Trott’s unique vision of what makes Wirra Wirra special and well, a bloody big fence that weighs about 10 tonnes. This wine is a tribute to the region, the grape variety and the foresight of a wine man that, like Woodhenge, typifies the individuality of McLaren Vale.The fruit for the 2018 Woodhenge Shiraz is sourced fruit from Gateway, Ciccarelli, Ivybrook, Dog Ridge, Quandong and their own Nocowie vineyards.

Fruit parcels of typical Woodhenge style were selected: rich generous McLaren Vale Shiraz fruit, with the Wirra Wirra style stamped firmly over it. Gently crushed and destemmed to open top and static fermenters, parcels were tasted twice daily by the Wirra Wirra winemakers to determine the number of daily plunges and pump overs for tannin, colour and flavour extraction. Once pressed and dry, parcels were run to oak barrels to complete malolactic fermentation. These individual vineyard parcels were racked and returned separately throughout maturation. The final selection was blended at 15 months of age before returning to oak for another 5 months. The wine was lightly fined, filtered and bottled. A combination of French and American oak barriques and hogsheads. New oak accounted for 40% of the final blend with the balance a combination of older barrels up to five years old.

Food Pairing: Slow cooked beef ribs with chimichurri.