2017 LIMITED RELEASE 'VENATOR' SHIRAZ
Venator - the Latin word for a HUNTER - is an apt way to describe this wine. Sourced from our best blocks of sub-regions across the Hunter Valley, this wine is a great representation of the region. Medium bodied with bright red fruit, savoury spice and violet notes, the fruit is balanced with fine layered tannins. A wine of great texture and elegance. (Head Winemaker, Gwyn Olsen)
Region
Hunter Valley, New South Wales
Vintage
Budburst for the 2017 Hunter vintage occurred well into September following a cold wet August. Good early season growing conditions led to a good flowering and light to moderate crops. As the season progressed the weather turned hot throughout January and early February, with 13 days over 40 degrees. Our vineyard manager did an amazing job to maintain canopies and ripen all varieties with very little heat stress. White varieties maintained good acidity against the odds and good to very good wines were produced. All our reds were picked before the worst of the heat and with almost no rain the quality was excellent with great flavour and balance. They may rival the 2014 reds.
Vineyard
Pepper Tree's Hunter Valley vineyard is in the Mount View area of the Lower Hunter Valley in the sheltered foothills of the Brokenback Range and covers 38.5 ha of plantings. The Mount View area contains 3 small protected subvalleys with highly favourable soils influenced by the large proportion of limestones in the underlying rocks. Terra Rossa clays over crumbly limestone and free draining red and brown clay loams cover hill slopes and are planted to red varieties as well as Chardonnay. Alluvial loams along the vineyard's creek flats are ideal soils for Semillon and Verdelho.
Winemaking
Picked at optimal flavour ripeness before being destemmed into a static fermenter. Fermented for around 9 days before being pressed off and racked to barrel. Matured in selected French puncheons for 14 months prior to bottling.