A hallmark of the Utopos Vineyard on Roennfeldt Road is the pitch perfect acid/ tannin balance we can achieve in fully ripened fruit. This provides for delicious, highly approachable wines in their youth, whilst enabling them to develop over a 10-15 year period, and maybe more. A hallmark of the Utopos Vineyard on Roennfeldt Road is the pitch perfect acid/ tannin balance we can achieve in fully ripened fruit. This provides for delicious, highly approachable wines in their youth, whilst enabling them to develop over a 10-15 year period, and maybe more. The 2023 growing season saw another winter and spring with great rainfalls, setting the vineyards up with high soil moisture to sustain them through the typically warm and dry summer. The ’23 summer was actually quite mild with very few days above 35 degrees celsius. This led to slow and even ripening with harvest occurring in early April. The typical low yields and sparse canopies saw Utopos sail through the late summer rains with no disease pressures to speak of.
This wine is a construct of fruit harvested from the best Shiraz blocks (harvested on the 5th of April) of the Utopos vineyard that varies substantially in aspect – with blocks facing all points of the compass – and soil composition across an undulating landscape. In particular, the sandy heavy red loam soils intersected with black cracking clays that are the feature of the south eastern block bring incredible complexity to a wine that abounds with red and black fruits, and touches of mocha. After a 5 day cold soak period, the fruit was allowed to gradually warm to kick off a slow ferment over 7 days on skins with twice daily pumpovers before being pressed off to seasoned French 4,600 litre foudres for 18 months, alongside a smaller selection of new and seasoned French hogsheads (maximum 3rd use). The final blend saw a small addition of 1% Mataro.
Deep black in the glass with a deep ruby red rim. There are dark, savoury fruits on the nose along with beguiling hints of aniseed, red licorice and iron. Along the long and intense palate there is a beautiful balance of blue fruits and balancing savoury intesity. Tannins are powerful but sit well amongst the layers and layers of fruit. This is a classic expression of site from a great vintage – a realisation of the real potential of Barossa Valley Shiraz to exhibit intensity and generosity without losing focus and form.
This will really hit the mark as a 10 year old, and kick on for another decade after that.
