Invitational Chatsfield Shiraz • Riesling 2022

Appearance: deep dark plum with magenta edges

Aroma: lifted purple violets, mulberry, plum skin, blood orange, red rose petal, dark chocolate, black cherry, dark bramble, black pepper, clove

Palate: dark cherry, mulberry, raspberry coulis, blackberry bramble, dark brooding, slight herbal, juicy palate, fine grained tight knit tannin, good weight and mid palate, generous, vibrant, refined, dark purple flower, Szechuan pepper, crunchy red forest berries

Drawn from a unique tiny planting of Houghton clone Cabernet, planted in 1999, this ripens slowly giving dense yet silky tannins. Deep winter rains were welcome relief after two drought seasons giving way to an earlier bud burst with a slow steady growth of canopy producing a wall of leaves to ripen a balanced crop. Rains in mid February and early March necessitated canopy work to give good airflow and light penetration easing disease risk. Warm conditions with warm breezes concentrated the red fruit giving full physiological ripeness of tannin and colour but still with the trademark thread of minerality that gives longevity and freshness to all the wines from the estate.

Established in the early 1980s just south of Mt Barker, the Chatsfield Vineyard produces stunning wines from 40-year-old Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Shiraz vines. This is a unique brooding blend of Shiraz and Riesling combining the dark berry peppered shiraz fruit with the delicate floral aromatics of a rare clone of Riesling. The result is a vibrant fresh crunchy red designed to drink young and slightly chilled.

Hand-picked, destemmed whole berries were co-fermented (intensifying colour), hand plunged and gently extracted for 16 days on skins before being lightly pressed and aged in seasoned French oak barrels for 10 months, bottled fresh and juicy. Aged in 100% one and two year old French oak 300L hogsheads for 14 months on fine lees. Blended with no fining and minimal filtration it was bottled in February 2023. Released May 2023.