Scarce Earth Braden’s Single Vineyard Shiraz 2017
Tasting Notes
The colour is dark, and there is dark chocolate and ripe plum and spice on the nose with red and black fruits (blackberry and black currants) on the palate. A spicy, full and flavoursome wine.
Vintage
We had terrific winter and spring rains leading up to vintage 2017, a marked contrast to the previous year, proving once again if proof were needed, that every vintage is different. We had a cool early part to spring too, combined with the spring rain. Flowering was about 3 weeks later than the previous year which of course meant that vintage was 3 weeks later than normal, or as some old locals said sagely, back to the old normal. There was a very long and slow ripening period which is terrific for allowing grapes to develop their flavours. We had a pretty dry February March and April, once the spring rains finished in mid-January. Overall a late vintage with some incredibly promising reds and outstanding whites.
Winemaking
Single Vineyard Shiraz
Our inspiration for bottling small volumes of Shiraz from single vineyards was the Scarce Earth program, which was a McLaren Vale initiative exploring and celebrating the geological climatic and soil diversity of the region. All wines come from a single block, a small plot of land with a unique flavour profile and personality. Braden’s This program has been mothballed for the time being.
Soils
The vineyard is mapped as Christie’s Beach formation, but is transitional to Bay of Biscay black cracking clays on the Ngaltinga formation. The Biscay soils are known as self-mulching soils that swells and shrinks according to moisture content. The soils crack in summer to a significant depth – ‘root pruning’ and in winter you will get stuck in a heartbeat if you aren’t in a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
Winemaking
The 2017 Braden’s Shiraz is made using grapes from our Braden’s Vineyard. It has been hand-made, hand bottled and is unfiltered. The wine was open fermented in small vessels then finished off ferment in a mixture of new (50%) and older fine French hogsheads.
Soil Type: Bay of Biscay
Geology: Christies Beach Formation, Quaternary period.
Elevation: 90 metres
Vine Age: 45 years
Vine clone: Unknown, thought to be a Reynell selection
Volume: 230 x 6 x 750ml case
Reviews
Halliday Wine Companion
Fabulous inky purple and the pleasure doesn't stop with its colour. The fruit in this is gorgeous - intense flavours infused with baking spices and clove/cedary oak. Yet it remains buoyant with almost sweet tannins. Impressive.
95 Points
Jane Faulkner
Published 01 August 2020
Other Vintages
Technical Details
Vineyards: Braden's
Picking Date: 13th and 17th April 2017
Bottling Date: 24th October 2018
Alc/Vol: 14.5%