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d'Arenberg Footbolt Old Vines Shiraz 2009
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The nose is full of the fresh berries and spice synonymous with McLaren Vale, with a slight eucalypt lift. There is real interest in the secondary characters of sarsaparilla, cinnamon and clove which are expressed more completely as the wine opens up.
The palate is mouth coating and plush with red and purple fruits mingling with orange peel and earth. There is a welcomed kick of five spice on the back palate. The lifted and fine fruit tannins provide structure and pull the wine together nicely.
The Footbolt Shiraz has proven to cellar well for at least a decade. The minimal intervention methods of d’Arenberg sometimes result in a harmless deposit in or adhering to the bottle. Decanting prior to serving is recommended to get the most enjoyment from this wine.
VINTAGE: Sufficient winter rains set up the vines well with good canopies. December and most of January were very cool with only three days above 30°C until late in the month. There was a string of days above 40°C in late January, most Shiraz vines were going through veraison at this time and there was little negative impact. The mild weather that followed ensured that ripening was stress free and grapes showed good levels of natural acidity and balanced tannins.
Winery notes: The Footbolt Shiraz is a truly regional style, showing the depth, complexity and balance of McLaren Vale Shiraz. Before being renamed The Footbolt Shiraz in 1996, the Old Vine Shiraz (as it was then known) was the first wine to use the term ‘Old Vine’. When this became common practice it was changed again, this time in honour of a racehorse that changed the Osborn family forever. The founder of d’Arenberg, Joseph Osborn was a successful racehorse owner and Footbolt was the pride of his stable. In 1912 he made the hard decision to sell his stable of horses to start d’Arenberg, so it is only fitting we pay homage to Joseph and his prize horse, Footbolt.
Walking the vineyard rows and tasting grapes, Chester Osborn classifies and determines the ideal picking time for each individual vineyard. Small batches are crushed in the Demoisy open-mouthed, rubber toothed crusher and then transferred to five tonne headed-down open fermenters. These batches remain separate until final blending. Foot treading is undertaken near the end of fermentation followed by gentle basket pressing. The wine is then transferred to a mixture of new and old French and old American oak and large casks to complete primary and secondary fermentation. The barrel fermented component is aged on lees for added complexity with no racking until final blending. Chester and the winemaking team undertake an extensive barrel tasting process to determine the final blend. The Footbolt does not undertake fining or filtration prior to bottling.
14.5% Alc/Vol
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| Don't Pay: $24.00
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WBW Rating: 92/100
Closure: Stelvin
Region: McLaren Vale SA |
Winemaker: Chester d’Arenberg Osborn
Drink now until: 2018
Alc/Vol: 14.4 %
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