Details
The 2007 vintage shaped up to be another high quality year but with significantly reduced yields in Eden Valley. Despite an early winter break, rainfall during winter and spring was the worst for years in the lead-up to flowering. There was significant spring frost damage in Eden Valley, with yield losses of 20-25%, compounded by the drought and lack of subsoil moisture with overall losses of 50%. Brief heat waves occurred during January; otherwise, it was mild and dry. At the end of January a tropical air mass connected with a cold front to bring good rains to the agricultural areas of South Australia, with flooding in the north. The 70mm rainfall fell steadily over four days, coinciding with veraison, which freshened up the vine canopy to assist with ripening the fruit for harvest. February was recorded as the hottest for 100 years, which brought the already reduced crop to an earlier ripening phase.
In the Bottle
| Vintage | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Grape Variety | 100% shiraz grown in the Eden Valley wine region. |
| Technical Details | Harvest Date: 29 March Alcohol: 14% | pH: 3.65 | Acidity: 6.4 g/L | |
| Maturation | Matured in new French oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to bottling. |
| Background | This wine is named as a tribute to Johann Gottlieb Rosenzweig, one of the early Barossa Lutheran pioneers who settled at Parrot Hill in Eden Valley. Their toil, perseverance and conservatism in hardship has meant the many generations that followed have rejoiced in the riches of those efforts. Shiraz, growing on the fertile slopes in the Eden Valley region, is just one of those blessings. The wine was produced from a small selection of low-yielding dry-grown shiraz vines from the Hill of Grace vineyard, named the Post Office block, that were a mere 20 years old and too young to be considered for inclusion in Hill of Grace. The quality of the grapes from this selection produced a wine that was too good to be declassified and warranted a separate bottling and limited release. The Post Office ruins are on the land that used to be Rosenzweig property, the Rosenzweig name translating from German to mean ‘rose twig’. |
| Cellaring Potential | Great vintage, 15+ years (from vintage). |