Shiraz “Lancaster” Mount Barker 2018 – Plantagenet

The Shiraz “Lancaster” Mount Barker Plantagenet is produced with fruit sourced from House of Plantagenet’s oldest plantings of Shiraz was harvested at night when the fruit was coolest. At the winery the fruit was destemmed and transferred via the chiller (bringing the must temperature down to 6°C) into open top fermenters for cold soaking. After four days, the must was allowed to warm up, and innoculated with a cultured yeast. The ferment was managed with a combination of pumpovers and plunging. Once complete, the wine was pressed to tank and allowed to settle before being finally racked to barrel for maturation. The wine spent a further nine months in bottle prior to release.

The Shiraz grapes for this wine were derived from two small block parcels of fruit from the Bouverie vineyard, situated at 200 metres above sea level. The vines were hand pruned, shoot and crop thinned and leaf exposed. The soil in this vineyard consists of gravelly loam over ironstone. All grapes were hand harvested.

The Plantagenet winery is located in the Mount Barker township, a sub-district of the Great Southern region in Western Australia. The area is famous for its premium quality, cool climate wine production, its proximity to the Southern Ocean ensuring the slow ripening of the grapes which enhances fruit composition and aromatic qualities. Plantagenet’s five vineyards are located to the south and west of the town.