2016 Heathcote Estate Single Vineyard Shiraz - Museum Release
From our 'museum release' program, this year we revisit a classic vintage from Heathcote Estate, aged in our cellars. Now six years old, this wine is evolving beautifully and offers exceptional enjoyment now and for many more years to come.
The 2016 vintage was exceptional in Heathcote, with all the makings of a truly classic year. One of our coldest winters in recent memory was followed by a warm and dry spring, with perfect, even set and growth. The warm, dry and consistent conditions prevailed throughout summer, resulting in highly concentrated small berries and incredible intensity in the wines.
Winemaker Notes
Our five individual blocks and their various sections where handled separately in the winery and vintage 2016 created 11 unique batches of wine. The grapes were fermented in a combination of traditional open and closed fermenters after gentle destemming, with some batches receiving whole bunches. The wines were then pressed and transferred into French Oak barrels (20% new) for malolactic fermentation – majority 300L hogsheads, some 500L puncheons and some parcels aged in traditional 6250L cuves. Racked twice during maturation, bottled February 2017. (Alc 14%)
Tasting Notes
Lifted perfume with layers of red and black fruits. Pristine and poised with floral notes, tar, gun flint and exceptional concentration and purity. Now six years of age, the palate is integrating beautifully - it is seamless and fine, loaded with fruit texture and tightly packed savoury tannins.