2001 Tim Adams Aberfeldy Shiraz Winery: Tim Adams Vintage: 2001 Region: Clare Valley Bottle Size: 750ml Variety: Shiraz Price: $65.00 (out of stock)

The Aberfeldy vineyard is a unique site – friable red loam over limestone nestled at the bottom of the eastern most hills of the Clare Valley, just five kilometres southeast of the township of Clare. When the Birks family of Wendouree fame settled the area they planted this site with shiraz in 1904. Many of these vines still remain and those which have perished have been replaced with rootlings of the same clone. The cropping level in the vineyard is never more than 1.5 tonnes per acre, producing grapes with intense colour, flavour and tannins. This fruit is the backbone of Aberfeldy Shiraz.

The wine has intense magenta colour. The aromatics are a complex of dark cherry, mulberry/blackberry, spice and vanillin. The palate is full-bodied and well balanced with firm drying tannins.

This wine deserves careful nurturing in good conditions for at least eight years before decanting. It will accompany and complement any red meat dish, including duck. Aberfeldy has become an icon Australian shiraz, now having been awarded five gold and two silver medals in the past seven International Wine Challenge events in London.

VINEYARD

This wine is made from 100 per cent shiraz grown on the Aberfeldy Vineyard, which is owned by Jim McDowell and Anne Brown. The fruit was harvested on March 10, 2001, at an average 14º Baumé.

WINEMAKING

All components of this blend were fermented to dryness on skins and subsequently left on skins for a further three weeks, before being pressed in our basket press. All pressings have been returned to the wine. It then spent 12 months in one-year-old American oak, and then 12 months in new American oak in our cool room, before blending, fining and bottling in April 2003. The wine has not been filtered prior to bottling.

ANALYSIS AT BOTTLING

Free SO2: 34ppm  Total SO2: 87ppm

Ph: 3.50  Acid :6.82g/L  Volatile acidity: 0.78g/L

Alcohol: 13.7%