The Bridie’s Shiraz is named after Bridie Clare Allen, the granddaughter to the Davern’s, owners of Wandin Valley Estate. With this flagship red we are dedicated to producing a wine that is very true to both the region, and our vineyard.

Fruit is mainly from our “Old Vine” Shiraz block (around 30 years old), though increasingly we take small portions from the younger blocks of Shiraz (10 – 15 years) as they mature. We aim to crop the older block at less than two and half tons per acre, and usually have little trouble achieving this. The fruit gains flavour and phonologic ripeness at around 12.5 Baume, pretty well every year. The hand picked fruit is crushed, cold soaked, and then fermented in open top fermenters. We try to extend the cold soak period as long as possible, and then let the fermentation rate pick up by letting the temperatures climb to around 32 degrees Celsius. I find this has the effect of extracting great colour and flavour from the skins, whilst minimising the risk of over-extraction of bitter tannins that may occur over a longer (cooler) fermentation. The Bridie’s Shiraz is matured in 100% French oak Hogs Heads, and Puncheons. I have found that in moving away from barriques into slightly larger format oak, we can use a greater portion of new oak for structure, without dominating the wine with oak flavours. As such, the Bridie’s Shiraz matures in about 70% new oak for 18 months.

The wine has a vibrant purple hue, indicating youth and intensity. The complex aromas are of toasty oak, cigar box, plum, and “classic” Hunter Valley leather characters. The palate is of great intensity, with rich berry flavours. Though it’s the tannins that surprise; their texture is like velvet, offering structure without dominance. This is an amazingly supple and rich wine. Enjoy now or cellar for 5 to 10 years.

"....very good concentration of red fruits and a hint of savoury leather, spice and roast meats; the palate is dense but bright, and shows a nice leathery complexity on the finish." 92 Points, James Halliday.

pH; 3.40
TA; 6.5 g/L
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar; nil

Bottle price: $35.00 RRP
Case price: $368.00 RRP