One Block Glory Shiraz is made from fruit that was planted on the biologically farmed Syme on Yarra Vineyard in Seville East in the Upper Yarra in 1998. Hand-picked before going through a natural ferment with 40% whole bunches and spending 35 days on skins. Pressed off to a combination of older French oak and one new French 300 litre hogshead and bottled unfined & unfiltered, this impressive, deeply coloured, medium to full bodied wine has a complex array of dark fruits and spices together with robust, yet balanced tannins giving the wine the backbone and structure to reward at least 10 years in a cool, dark place.
From Seville East. The wine has a lot of French oak pushing the flavour barrow, but it's classy, and the fruit fully reflects the quality of the '15 Yarra Valley vintage. The aromas and flavours fill the full spectrum from spicy to foresty, from whole bunchy to dark forest berry fruits, the last winning the game. Its finesse manages to outpoint the hint of green that appears intermittently.
95 points, Wine Companion (April 2018)
Yarra Valley
The Yarra Valley was first planted by the Ryrie brothers who explored a way through the Snowy Mountains to the Yarra Valley, planting grapes in 1838 just three years after the foundation of Melbourne. A wine industry (developed by Swiss Settlers particularly Hubert de Castella and Baron Guillaume de Pury in the 1850s) thrived during the gold rush era and heyday of the 19th century. However, the end of the gold rush brought the wine industry into decline and it was not until the 1970’s that the modern wine industry started up again. The region is probably Australia’s best-known cool-climate area, yet it is really a patchwork of meso-climates. This varied topography creates an incredible set of variables. Vineyards are planted on elevations of 50 to 400m on varying aspects and management programmes. The more exposed sites are subject to severe spring frosts and winds. Overall, the area experiences a relatively high rainfall pattern and is known for its temperature extremes during ripening. Site selection is crucial, with the best vineyards often located where the original vines were once planted, generally on sandy clay loams and gravels. The Yarra Valley is well known for high quality Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Blends with Shiraz increasingly garnering attention. Sparkling wine production is also extremely important, with many of Australia’s finest examples produced in the region.
