Description
Plantagenet Wyjup Shiraz is the absolute standout right now. Only around 1000 bottles produced. 10% whole bunch, open-fermented with gentle extraction, then around 12 months in large-format French oak. This is the happy place where cool-climate and old-vine intersect and produce a wine that will compete with the best of any in the world. Brambly fruit, game, white pepper and clove. Dense and layered, with fine tannins. Will continue to evolve and improve for many years to come.
Plantagenet Wines is best known as a pioneer of the Great Southern region. In 1968, an English migrant bought the Bouverie farm and planted Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Since then, Plantagenet has expanded the plantings and range. They have forged a reputation for well-acclaimed cool-climate wines that are a highlight from WA. The new ownership has doubled down on quality and showcasing their old-vine resources.
Wyjup is one of Western Australia’s original vineyard plantings. The first vines at this Mount Barker site were planted in 1971. Wyjup features Riesling, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. These half-century-old vines in the cool Great Southern give concentrated fruit, minerality and real power.
Plantagenet Wyjup Shiraz Mt Barker 2022 Wine Review
Ray Jordan
98 points
“Deeply intense aromas of plum, spice and cherry introduce a thoroughly beautiful wine.”
Shiraz/Syrah
A bit of a chameleon, Shiraz can change how it looks depending on the terroir and/or winemaker influence. The Syrah-based wines of the Northern Rhone are dry and austere, while the Shiraz of the Barossa is opulent and fleshy. A variety that lends itself to long aging but can be drunk at any time of its evolution.
Mt Barker
Falling within the South West Australia Zone and the region of Great Southern is Mt Barker. The region receives warm days with lots of sunlight, cool nights and near-perfect annual rainfall. This means the fruit gets perfectly ripe and the cool nights retains acidity. While it is probably Shiraz country, there is some amazing Riesling and Pinot Noir to be had too.
Australian Wine
The invasion of “Sunshine in a bottle” put Australian wine on the map. The fruity, easy-going, somewhat samey wines were endearing for a short time. Then the next big thing knocked them off their perch.
This forced producers to increase quality and emphasise the distinctive terroirs of Australia. Of which, there are many. And many more yet to be discovered.
Wine
Wine is the result you get from fermented grape juice. There is proof of wine production dating back 8000 years ago. Fashions, innovations and many other factors have influenced the way wine has evolved over the years.
The wine grape is special. It contains everything you need to make grape wine except for the yeast, which lives on the outside of the skins.
Human inputs can influence the final product, including the viticulture (growing) choices. And the winemaker can shape the wine to a point too.
The best wines of the world often refer to terroir. Terroir is a French term that refers to all the climatic, geological and topographical influences on a specific piece of land. And it is true that neighbouring vineyards, grown identically, can taste noticeably different.
Red Wine
Fun fact; most of the colour for wines comes from the skins. There are only a handful of grapes that have red juice. Alicante is the most well known of these grapes.
By macerating the juice on the skins, the wine gains tannins, and flavours. Certain compounds change the chemistry of the wine too.
Red wines tend to have higher alcohol. More tannin and more oak flavours compared to other styles of wine. But the thousands of grapes and terroirs they grow in influence this.
The Wine Depository
I, Phil, have been running The Wine Depository since 2011. The Wine Depository exists to make sure you are drinking the good wines. You can browse and pick what is interesting to you. Or you can make contact with me. I’ll make sure you get what you want, to your palate, to your budget and to your door.
