2018 Streicker Bridgeland Block Syrah
Blend
100% Syrah (Shiraz)
Vineyard
Bridgeland Vineyard, Karridale
Growing
The best blocks are selected from our cool, southern Karridale vineyard. This site features a large water catchment with Mungite and Forest Grove soils.
Winemaking Note
Roughly half the block was hand-picked and de-stemmed, with the berries left uncrushed to preserve the natural fruit perfumes and allow for slow, controlled tannin and flavour extraction. A third of the stalks yielded from the destemming processes were added back to the must to promote extraction of spicier flavours and more savoury fruit characters and textures. 4 days later the other half of the block was hand-picked and de-stemmed, with the berries left un-crushed to preserve the natural fruit perfumes and allow for slow, controlled tannin and flavour extraction. The ferments were kept cold and pumped over twice a day for 8 days. The still-fermenting wines were then gently separated from their skins and allowed to finish ferment in a mix of old and new Burgundian-style oak barrels. The wines were then aged separately in oak for 14 months before bottling.
Vintage Conditions
After an unseasonable dry early Winter, late rains in August and September came to the rescue. Budburst commenced in early August and continued until late September. Significant rain events persisted through to mid-October, with conditions fining up through the flowering period enabling successful flowering and fruit set. Vine growth was excellent and excess vigour issues were dealt with by employing shoot thinning and vine de-legging
practices, in a successful attempt to deter regrowth and crowding of fruit zone areas. Harvest began on the 27th
January, in line with the earliest picking dates on record, trailing out until completion on the 13th April.
Aroma
Black cherries, white pepper, eastern spices and plum blossoms.
Palate
Coating flavours of glazed cherries, nutmeg and plums to start, a broad onslaught of velure red fruit tannin and textures bring together power and pois in an elaborate finish of cracked allspice, satsuma plums and hints of liquorice and black tea.
Cellaring
Up to 8 years, however we enjoy it now.
Alcohol
14%