Barossa Valley Estate
E&E Black Pepper Shiraz Limited Release 2016
“Violet floral notes, black fruit and black pepper spice on a generous, richly layered palate with wonderfully textured fine-grained tannins.”
– Tasted June 2019
Our viticulturist and winemaker work closely together each vintage to determine which vineyards will become the foundations for E&E Black Pepper Shiraz. At harvest time, each vineyard is assessed, and in exceptional vintages, fruit is selected for its concentration, varietal intensity and hallmark Black Pepper character. E&E’ Black Pepper Shiraz's signature is one that comes from time.
From selection at harvest, it takes more than four years to craft E&E into an extraordinary wine. This creates a seamless, sophisticated wine from start to finish, with exceptional concentration, restrained power, and silky but penetrating tannin finish.
Barossa Valley
Growing Season
The 2016 growing season commenced slightly earlier than average following a relatively dry winter. Temperatures through spring and early summer (September – December) were slightly warmer than average delivering a stable and balanced start to the growing season. The warm, dry and calm weather provided good conditions for flowering and fruit set. January and February experienced average summer temperatures, with dry conditions remaining. Balanced vine canopies were supported by technically managed irrigation and a few well-timed summer rain events. Across our vineyards this meant ripening progressed in a very even and consistent fashion, delivering fruit of great freshness, concentration of flavour, vibrant colour and ripe tannins.
Winemaking
Each parcel of fruit harvested was vinified separately. The grapes were destemmed, and parcels of fruit were assigned to fermentation vessels, ranging from four to 12-ton open fermenters. Following a period of maceration, fermentation was initiated with selected yeast strains.
Fermentation was conducted over a seven to ten-day period, with the total time spent on skins being up to 14 days. During fermentation, regular pump-overs were conducted (between three and five times daily) to aid extraction of colour, flavour and tannins. The wine was then pressed and moved to French oak barrels (50% of which were new) to undertake malolactic fermentation and maturation for approximately 18 months. The French oak barrels were carefully selected to impart texture, fine tannins, and to support the aging potential of the final wine.
Throughout malolactic fermentation and maturation, each barrel was individually assessed for its quality, and the final selections (40+) were carefully reviewed and assembled by the winemaking team to create the final blend. The final blend was then bottled and matured for a further 18 months to create a wine that is beautifully balanced and integrated upon release, with the potential to age for decades to come.
“We expect 2016 to be referenced as a truly great Barossa vintage for decades to come and follows a series of very strong red wine vintages in the region.”
Barossa Valley
2016 Vintage
Varietal | 100% Shiraz |
Clones | 1654, 2626, BVRC12 |
Vine Age | Various, 20+ years |
Harvest | 18 - 20 February 2016 |
Alcohol | 15.0% Alc/Vol |
pH | 3.6 |
Cellaring Potential | An excellent vintage, 10+ years from vintage with careful cellaring |