St Hallett, one of the Barossa Valley’s leading producers of premium wines, has officially released the new vintages of its iconic Old Block and Blackwell Shiraz.
The winery is well known for creating some of the region’s best shiraz and Old Block is a classic, first made in 1980 when St Hallett transitioned its focus from fortified to table wines. Old Block has also long been recognised under the Langton’s Classification, while Blackwell is arguably one of Australia’s best wines, released in 1994 and named after stalwart Senior Winemaker Stuart Blackwell.
Blackwell still oversees the annual release of these two impressive wines, but most of the labours today have been handed to Senior Winemaker Toby Barlow, Winemaker Shelley Cox and Viticulturist Chris Rogers. It is their job to ensure that Old Block and Blackwell maintain their status as quality expressions of the Barossa’s unique terroir and old vines, with both blends drawing on the depth and pedigree of varying styles of shiraz from across the region.
The latest 2014 release of Old Block features fruit from vines aged up to 100 years from the sub-regions of Barossa and Eden Valley to deliver a “Classic, almost timeless” wine, as described by Barlow.
The 2015 Blackwell Shiraz on the other hand has been made from fruit from sites across the north-western Barossa for its richness. This sub-regional focus creates a style that’s “Rich and robust,” said Barlow, and “The winery’s most powerful wine.” Each parcel of shiraz is then matured individually in carefully selected American oak barrels for two years for added texture and complexity.
Both are available through distributor Accolade Wines and could cellar for between 20-30 years. The 2014 Old Block retails for $120 and 2015 Blackwell for $40 - cracking value at this stage, with the price of wines like these expected to go up significantly over the next few years.
These are also limited editions, so place your orders quickly.
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