Plantagenet Lancaster Mount Barker Shiraz 2019

Plantagenet Lancaster Mount Barker Shiraz 

Region: Great Southern, Western Australia

Vintage: 2019

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: Shiraz

ABV: 14.5%

This Shiraz has a lifted nose with aromas of blueberry and blackcurrant and hints of cacao and black pepper. On the palate, a juicy acidity and fine tannins integrate with a good depth of concentrated flavour. Savoury characters lead to a long, elegant finish.

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.

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.

Located in the Mount Barker township (part of the Shire of Plantagenet), Plantagenet was the first winery in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The name Plantagenet carries a rich heritage. The royal House of Plantagenet ruled England from 1154 to 1485, and centuries later, early English settlers brought the name to the Great Southern, naming the rural shire surrounding Mount Barker after the royal line. The arms of the Plantagenet dynasty were three lions passant guardant, termed colloquially “the arms of England”.