LVDO VERSIONS #1 Cabernet Shiraz 2023

Vibrant | Savoury | Structured

Ingredients: Grape berries, grape stalks, 30 ppm sulphites

Vegan, unfined and unfiltered.

2023 Vintage
Greenock, Barossa Valley
12.7% ABV
750 mL

The Cabernet Shiraz blend comes under the VERSIONS label created for singular projects alongside the core wines of my collection. I was fortunate to get access to a certified biodynamic and organic vineyard in Greenock, Barossa Valley. My initial interest was Shiraz for Rose, but it didn't quite work out and wasn't released in the end. But a block of 1992 planted Cabernet Sauvignon on schist piqued my interest. My goal was to make a medium-bodied, red-fruited and herbal Cabernet that is a lighter and fresher expression of the variety. The schist rock allowed slightly earlier pick and some whole bunch inclusion (to balance the sweet berry flavours). A small portion underwent intracellular fermentation for 56 days. 6% Shiraz rose was blended in from the same vineyard to meet the brief for a lunch claret of the old days. The wine spent 11 months in a single French puncheon.

93 points, Tom Kline, (Wine Pilot)
"Cool and elegant aromas lift from the glass in a mixture of restrained fruit and gentle savoury and sweet spice. Blueberry, black plum, camphor, five spice, dehydrated tomato. A swirl of the glass unlocks more savouriness in the faintest whiffs of charred bell pepper, tobacco and dark chocolate. At its core, however, this is about restrained vibrancy. The palate has an equally cool and even toned feel with elegant, lifted fruit. Blueberry, dark cherry and plum glide through the palate with some nutmeg in support before a lithe vein of granular and svelte tannins enter the picture, adding just enough mocha-laced bitterness to offset the fruit. There’s flow, elegance, vibrancy, and softness on display here. A lovely wine."