VINTAGE CONDITIONS

The 1998 vintage was the best of the decade in Padthaway. Warm summer temperatures with little rainfall preceded the vintage. Conditions during vintage, February to April, were warm and dry leading to intense colours, concentrated minty flavours and outstanding structure.

HARVEST DATE   April 8, 1998.

WINEMAKING

The wine was vintaged entirely from the original 2.8 hectare Lawson’s vineyard planted in 1968 in Padthaway. The vineyard is on the shoreline of an ancient seabed and the soils are deep free draining sands. The sands partially stress the vines, giving rise to low yields of grapes that achieve full ripeness.

The grapes were destemmed and crushed to a single fermenter with active yeast culture. Following a cold soak at 5°C the grapes were fermented at moderate temperatures (18°C-23°C) with peaks of higher temperatures early during fermentation. After nine days part of the wine was run off to new American oak barrels for barrel fermentation. The remaining wine received extended skin contact for 19 days to give maximum extraction of colour, flavour and firm structured tannins. Upon pressing the wine from the skins the pressings fraction was blended with the free run wine after clarification.

The wine was matured in new American oak hogsheads from selected coopers in our cellars for 25 months. Barrel selection was rigorous with only the finest being used in the final wine. The wine received a further 33 months bottle age prior to release.

ANALYSIS

Alcohol: 14.0% alc/vol  Total Acid: 6.7g/L  pH: 3.40

BOTTLING DATE

June 16, 2000.

COLOUR

Vibrant full depth crimson purple.

BOUQUET

A very youthful stylish bouquet of spearmint, violet, prune and pepper, complexed by soft vanilla oak.

PALATE

Full bodied with a tight structure, powerful eucalypt and spice flavours leading to rich, silky tannins with an excellent length of flavour.

ASSESSMENT

Lawson’s Padthaway Shiraz is a benchmark single vineyard wine and has built a solid reputation as one of Australia’s great shiraz wines. The excellent 1998 vintage continues this proud heritage, still youthful at six years of age the wine will continue to be enhanced by careful cellaring for up to 20 years from vintage. For best results decanting before serving is highly recommended.