$60.00
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Shiraz has gone from being a workhorse backbone to many fortifieds in years gone by, to being one of the great success stories of the modern wine making era. Perhaps nowhere as consistently as in the Barossa. Although some muttering can be heard that this star has peaked and that perhaps the gloss is wearing a little thin... I have to say I completely disagree! Barossa Shiraz has now (just this minute) entered it’s “interesting” stage and now more than ever before Barossa Shiraz has something Delicious to say to your mouth!
picked over a fourteen-day period from the 19th of March 2017
Sourced from 30 odd individual patches of our Stone Well Hill & Stelzer Road Vineyards
Total production 4000 bottles
Brooding deep rich red, bright rim
Black Cherry interwoven with chary oak and red summer fruits. Undertones of Yeasty Complexity and the signature ‘Benjamin’s’ Violet lift give a rich and inviting aroma.
Bright intense Ripe plums and red summer berries interplay with Cherry ‘pinginess’. Chary yeasty richness overlaid with red strap licorice, milk chocolate, some earthiness and leather. The fine elegant tannins and well balanced Oak structure underpin a long lingering fruit driven finish.
Wednesday, 20th of July, 2022... My big Five-Oh is coming up on Saturday and Ben Turns twenty Two in December. Holy Crap... the years have rolled on by! I know that on the inside, I still feel like the same bloke, wondering what life would bring and having that first crack at making a bit of wine. That was back in ’98 and to be honest, inside I’m still that younger version of me... just everything is a bit sorer, hairier, and slightly more out of focus! Ben, as I mentioned is now a ‘grown up’ and I am completely bemused by the fact that he’s an actual adult -insert impending mid-life crisis here - lol. The lad is in a real ‘junction of life’ stage right now. He’s coming to that realisation that life is a lot more complicated and challenging as an adult that our juvenile visions could ever comprehend. Standing metaphorically in his shoes, I know for a fact that its daunting. But, jumping back into my own shoes, placed strategically a little further up the big ol’ hill of life, means that I can shout ‘Dad Wisdom Advice’ at him. What I’m generally shouting is, “...don’t worry mate, it’s bloody well worth it". ‘It’, of course is engaging in the laughter, tears, exhilaration terror, blood sweat shit and truffles that make up life. Ben, my boy, you have no idea what’s ahead of you; and I can say that with the absolute conviction of someone who’s twenty-eight years further down the track, and also waiting with bated breath to see what’s going to happen next! Love you Son.
This – the 2017 - is the fifteenth release of the Benjamin’s Promise Shiraz and I reckon it’s up there with the best we have ever kicked out the door to face the big bad world. The 2017 Benjamin’s Promise Shiraz has emerged Phoenix like from what many saw as a less than ideal year. The cool benign growing and ripening spring and summer, saw us only starting to pick shiraz in mid-March. Over a 14-day period finishing in early April every block of Shiraz ambled in – in twice the time-frame as the previous year – Sheer Luxury indeed! The glorious black gems were given the ‘rummage of love’ in 30 odd different small batch parcels , the best of which were gathered to make this wine. As always, the fruit was taken from Sand, Loam and Clay across our Stone Well Hill Bultawilta and Stelzer Road Vineyards. Each small batch of Shiraz was hand plunged 3 times daily and spent a minimum of 40 days on skins. This extended skin contact is the secret to velvety tannins and the intense fruit drive that are the hallmark of the Benjamin’s Promise Shiraz. The ‘unstoppable’ but gentle Hypac basket press extracted every last drop of black gold from the skins which was then filled to new and seasoned French Oak Hogsheads on full lees for 25 months ageing before being racked to tank to settle. After final blending, 4000 bottles were filled (unfiltered) of the 2017 Benjamin's Promise Shiraz in February 2020. Each bottle ( as always ) has been hand printed wrapped and packaged with care by the team at david Franz before wending its way to you!
