LVDO 'LUDO' Whites Valley Alluvium Shiraz 2019

Rich | Savoury | Structured

Ingredients: Shiraz grape berries, grape stalks, yeasts: Lachancea thermotolerans* and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 30 ppm sulphites

Vegan, unfined and unfiltered.

2019 Vintage
Whites Valley, McLaren Vale
14% ABV
750 mL

Perhaps the most serious classically styled wine we've made so far. It is bigger, fuller, and more structured, so we held it back and are releasing it after our 2020 Shiraz. The 2019 growing season presented its own challenges in the form of heatwaves. We hand-picked grapes from the Perrau vineyard in Whites Valley after a 3-day heatwave, and with no surprise, we ended up with extra ripeness. Our goal was to bring savouriness, freshness and balance to the sweeter fruit profile. We drew inspiration from wines that we adore in the fuller style. Wines that, despite their elevated ABV (>14%) have a sense of freshness, minerality and purity. Standish, Eperosa, and Sami-Odi, to mention a few. This was the year we learned about layered ferments. Imagine one layer of destemmed berries, one layer of stems, one layer of destemmed berries, one layer of stems...etc like building an oenological lasagne. After pressing off the ferment, the wine matured in 10-12-year-old French hogsheads for 14 months and was bottled with 30 ppm SO2. 

"Vintage conditions are evident in the sheer concentration of blackberries, plum and sweet fig. Madagascar vanilla bean, kola nut and black sapote fruit lead to cassia bark and crushed black peppercorn. Here the inkyness of ripe fruit is nicely composed by spice and dried herbal nuances. Like bayleaf, dried porcini mushroom and dark coffee grinds. The wine has an honesty about it, a warm year that’s been treated with thoughtfulness for the final balance." 92 points, Shanteh Wale, Wine Pilot

*Lachancea thermotolerans is a wild yeast (non-Saccharomyces) discovered and isolated by LUDO scientists. Besides bringing fresh, lifted aromatics, this yeast strain naturally produces lactic acid and lowers the alcohol content. In other words, it helps to make fresh wines in warm regions and combat the impact of global warming in the vineyard.