The Hoffmann Vineyard wine is the result of close collaboration between winemaker Ringland and his friend, grape-grower Adrian Hoffmann, whose vineyard holdings occupy key sites in the Ebenezer sub-region of the northern Barossa.
Robert Parker himself calls Ringland ‘an international grandmaster of Shiraz’.
The Hoffmann Vineyard Shiraz is a tête de cuvée (literally ‘head of the blend’) style.
Key parts of the vineyard, with vines between 60 and 100+ years old, are picked at different stages of ripeness, resulting in five separate two-tonne grape parcels ultimately filling 20 barrels. The final wine is a selection of the best four barrels. The annual make will never exceed 200 dozen.
It’s an ‘essence-of-Shiraz’ style – uncompromisingly rich and concentrated. The first vintage was 2006 and the wine has begun building a track record that will inevitably match that of the Barossa Ranges wine.
Right now, you need to decant it 12 hours (or more) before serving to allow the fruit to come to the fore.
Low yields and favourable February and March weather produced an exceptionally concentrated wine, which spent an unprecedented 63 months in 100% new French oak. It's crammed with vertical strata of telescopic fruit edged with dried herbs and has tremendous palate presence and length. A deep seam of blackcurrant, cassis, red cherry and sloes flexes beneath the surface, while mouthcoating, textured, mineral tannins buttress the finish. A monumental wine.
Drinking Window 2025-2035.
98 points, Sarah Ahmed (6/2018).
"From the Hoffman vineyard at Ebenezer, and spent 4 years in 100% new French oak before this selection was made. It hardly needs be said this is a monumentally full-bodied wine, crammed with every conceivable flavour. In its unique way, it is balanced, but will only have a niche market - given the tiny amount made, this won't be an issue. The leviathan bottle has a good quality cork, with no irregularities."
94 points, James Halliday
Barossa Valley
Colonel William Light, the South Australian colony’s Surveyor-General, named the Barossa in 1837 after the site of an English victory over the French in the Spanish Peninsular War. In the mid-1800’s Silesian and English immigrants settled in the area. The Barossa itself comprises two distinct sub-regions: Eden Valley and the warmer Barossa Valley floor at 270m.The Barossa Valley enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate characterised by hot dry summers and relatively low rainfall. Cool sea breezes from the Gulf of St Vincent modify the temperature, however hot northerly winds can occasionally dominate creating considerable vine stress. Many older established vineyards are dry-grown, but supplementary irrigation is also extensively used. The valley is comprised of rich brown soils and alluvial sands. A long history of uninterrupted viticulture in the area means the Barossa valley is home to Australia’s largest concentration of old-vine Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre with many over 100 years old. Although most famous for Shiraz, the Barossa can also produce fragrant and deliciously fruity Grenache blends and beautifully rich, chocolatey Cabernet Sauvignons.
