Buckshot Vineyard Shiraz 2022

The Vineyard
Buckshot vineyard is situated on an east-facing slope just to the south-west of Colbinabbin on the sought after Mt Camel range. The 500 million year old Cambrian bedrock has broken down over the past 400 million years into jasper, greenstone, granite and with weathering Buckshot ironstone pebbles that give the wines their name. The soil has a vivid red colour and is punctuated with the rocks above.

The 5-acre Shiraz patch is planted at the top of the east-facing slope, where the 100 million year old Cambrian earth is at its deepest – upto 6 metres! Heathcote provides the ideal climate to grow Shiraz – warm days and cool nights provide ripe fruit with good acid and tannin structure.

Winemaking
The making of our Shiraz utilises a mix of tradition and innovation. Grapes were picked then crushed and de-stemmed into open pots. The must is then "cold soaked” for 3 days before cultured yeasts are added for fermentation. During fermentation, the "cap” is hand plunged to ensure colour, flavour and tannin extraction are gently achieved. Part of the juice finishes fermentation in barrel, while the remaining juice finishes fermentation on skins before being transferred to barrel. The wines going through malo-lactic fermentation in barrel. Buckshot employs Oak sourced from several different French and American coopers to add complexity. The wine then ages in hogsheads for up to 16 months prior to bottling, which is done with minimal filtration, before being sealed with a screw-cap.

SHIRAZ TASTING NOTE
Deep, black crimson/purple colour, showing strong regional influence. Lifted aromas of blackberry, mocha, plum, crushed rock and spice. The palate has a refined mouthfeel with spicy blackberry, mocha, chocolate and licorice flavours above an underlying minerality, a hallmark of Heathcote. Excellent flavour intensity without excess weight or ‘flabby’ characteristics. Terrific length and persistence thanks to good acidity and fine tannins. Despite being approachable in it’s youth, the wine will develop in a good cellar, and reward your patience for up to ten years.