Frankland Estate Shiraz 2020 (Australia)

Frankland Estate Shiraz 2020 (Australia)French oak Plum & red currant Florals & spice Juicy & fresh "Open fermented, extended maceration, 14 months maturation in French puncheons. The deep purple colour sets the scene for a powerful, fragrant wine with poached spiced plum and ripe tannins, the French oak beating a delicate tattoo on the finish" James Halliday "This is a shiraz of genuine appeal. The mid palate is sweet and ripe but theres a lot flying about the edges. Redcurrant and

• French oak
• Plum & red currant
• Florals & spice
• Juicy & fresh

"Open-fermented, extended maceration, 14 months maturation in French puncheons. The deep purple colour sets the scene for a powerful, fragrant wine with poached spiced plum and ripe tannins, the French oak beating a delicate tattoo on the finish" James Halliday

"This is a shiraz of genuine appeal. The mid palate is sweet and ripe but there’s a lot flying about the edges. Redcurrant and raspberry meets graphite, black pepper, clove and woodsmoke. It’s soft and accessible in general but the finish is curled with just-enough tannin to give it shape and class. Very nice. Very good. It’s moreish at heart but there’s, err, more to it than that" Campbell Mattinson, Wine Front

"Follows in the footsteps of the '18. While the bouquet and palate alike are richly endowed, the cool continental climate shuts the door on any over-ripe, pudgy fruit characters. So, tannins play along with the black cherry fruit and utterly delicious savoury undertow" James Halliday's Top 100 wines of 2022

A concentrated and complex aroma of plum spices and floral tones lift from the glass alluding to a Shiraz of elegance and depth. The nose leads to a shiraz with middle weight and delicacy on the palate yet with substantial depth of flavour and complexity. Spice and ironstone earthiness sit well along the bright fruits of plum and red current that give the wine a juiciness and approachability whilst having great length and freshness.

This wine was made from fruit sourced from our family’s certified organic estate vineyards. A selection of shiraz was sourced from eight small parcels across the estate vineyards including two additional clones of shiraz (clones 470 and 174) that complement the established clone that has been planted since the original vines in 1988. The use of whole bunch fermentation (4.5%) and the inclusion of additional varietals planted progressively over the past 20 years have been precisely blended give the wine complexity and uniqueness. All vineyards are managed under certified organic principals (certified organic 2010), a practice we feel is important for reflecting the uniqueness of the site through a purity of fruit.

2020 was an outstanding shiraz vintage combining dry yet mild conditions that resulted in wonderful fruit concentration and aromatics. A dry winter and spring resulted in reduced yields however quality was exceptional with ideal growing conditions. Whilst dry the summer cooled considerably in early March slowing ripening of the Shiraz and providing fruit clarity and depth of flavour.

The complexity of this wine no doubt comes from the three clones of shiraz now grown in the estates certified organic vineyards and the eight small parcels used for this shiraz ((making up 90.1% of the wine) with 4.5% of this being whole bunch fermented), supported by the use of small additions of Touriga Nacional (4.4%), Mourvèdre (4.4%), and Viognier (1.1%).

This wine was fermented as long and slowly as possible, at temperatures not exceeding 28C in open fermentation tanks that allowed the cap to be worked by gentle plunging. An extended maceration period followed completion of the ferment to allow optimal texture and flavour extraction. It was aged for 14 months in 500 litre French oak puncheons.