Schubert Estate Goose-yard Block Shiraz 2015

The first wine released by Schubert Estate was their 2000 Goose-Yard Block Shiraz, and there has been a parade of top shiraz from this small Barossa producer, tucked away in the Marananga sub-region, ever since. This release has been very successful in shows, both at home and abroad. 

Sourced from Block 2 of their vineyard, the ‘Goose Yard Block’, the procedure is largely the same as for the other shiraz they make. Handpicking, before the grapes are destemmed and then fermented, this time with wild yeast and not the usual cultured, in 5 tonne open top fermenters. Twice daily pumpovers then basket-pressing both the free-run juice and pressings into a mix of 225-litre French oak, 66% new and 34% two-year-old. Maturation in these barrels is for 20 months. 

Yet another cracking shiraz from the team at Schuberts. The difference here is that it is perhaps more for the long haul than the immediate gratification offered by some others – not that it is not delicious now, or that the others won’t age well. Black fruits and leather notes. Coffee grinds, warm earth, a touch of tobacco leaves. Focused and balanced. Lots of tannins here, but soft and lingering with an impressively long finish. Perhaps a slightly increased level of savouriness when compared to some others. 95, but expect this to rise in years to come.