Pirramimma, McLaren Vale, South Australia
Pirramimma was founded by Alexander Campbell Johnston in 1892 and has been owned and operated by the Johnston family ever since.
The Johnston family arrived in South Australia in 1839 and in 1892 Alexander, the tenth of thirteen children, purchased 97 hectares of rich farmland southeast of the then fledgling village of McLaren Vale. He named his land Pirramimma, an Aboriginal phrase meaning "the moon and the stars".
The vineyard soils vary from sandy, on the rise, to rich dark loam on the flat. Over 60% of the vineyards are planted to premium red wine varieties, including Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot ( for Australia's first 100% Petit Verdot wine ), with Chardonnay the largest single white grape planting on the estate.
This outstanding wine comes from the oldest vineyard on Pirramimma Estate – dry grown bush vines planted in 1944.
Winemaker’s Notes
This restricted release wine is named in honour of our founder, Alexander Campbell Johnston, who over 124 years ago planted his first small vine cutting in iron laden, rich red soil near the township of McLaren Vale. The Johnston Family still produce estate grown wines and operate one of Australia’s oldest wineries – PIRRAMIMMA.
Only produced if selected parcels display outstanding varietal and regional characters. The exceptional 2013 vintage provided such fruit for our fifth ACJ release of 500 dozen. The wine is a blend of 51% Shiraz from our War Horse block, 26% Petit Verdot from the Siberia block, 15% Cabernet from our Homestead vineyard and 8% merlot from our Basket Weaved Katunga Vineyard.
Tasting Notes
The bouquet displays briary blackberry, prune, violets and black olive with hints of subtle vanillin oak and toasted almond. On the palate intense black cherry, blueberry, liquorice and spicy red currant are complemented by hints of musk and cedary oak. All enveloped in fine grained savoury French oak. The wine has a beautifully integrated seam of firm tannin and long sustained finish. Aerate extensively to drink now or will age gracefully with correct cellaring.
Geoff Johnston
Appellation: McLaren Vale, South Australia
Vintage: 2015
Varietal: 51% Shiraz, 26% Petit Verdot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.0% Merlot
Vineyard: War Horse, Siberia, Homestead & Katunga
Harvested: 2013
Alcohol: 14.6%
Acid: 6.4g/L
PH: 3.43
Residual Sugar: 2.2 g/ L
Maturation: 24 months in new & older French Oak
Cellaring: Will bottle mature for 15 plus years.
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WINERY RATING |
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| James Halliday, |
Australian Wine Companion 2009 |
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