2009 'Leopold' Reserve Shiraz Viognier

First produced in 2004, with the second vintage (05) winning the Cool Climate Trophy for Australia. This wine was inspired by our love of great Northern Rhône Côte Rôtie red wines, where this unusual red/white blend emerged, embodied by Marcel Guigal (who made the most awarded wines in history), and more locally the iconic wines of Tim Kirk at Clonakilla.

A traditional blend of the Côte Rôtie appellation of the northern Rhône Valley where cooler climate Shiraz/Syrah is co-fermented with small quantities of Viognier to accentuate floral and red fruit characters and smooth out the edges. Due to our cool climate, the co-fermentation with Viognier was an obvious choice with a focus on combining the texture and structure of our Shiraz, with the vibrancy and aromatics of Viognier to produce and a beautiful, long finish.

 Terroir

The de Beaurepaire family’s estate is in the valley above Rylstone in the Central Ranges (GI) of NSW. The vineyard is located on an ancient coral reef located just off the shore of Gondwana (450MYO) which formed a band of limestone (Coomber Formation) running north/south that appears in valleys where the younger Rylstone volcanic rock has been eroded away. 55 hectares of vines were planted in 1998. The vineyard is 150km inland and 580-650m altitude with a North-East aspect. Soil structure is shallow (<1m) sandy-loam mixed with limestone; the temperature range is as cool as Tasmania and Central Otago through the growing season; and the climate is inland/continental (large day/night variation) creating a terroir similar to Burgundy (the ancestral home of the de Beaurepaire family for nearly 1,000 years). The temperature range is very similar to Burgundy – during the growing season (October-April), our low/high/average of 11.9 / 21.7 / 16.9 degrees Celsius vs Beaune (Burgundy) low/high/average of 11.9 / 23.3 /17.6 degrees Celsius.

This wine is in its prime drinking range now, so enjoy!