Another tough vintage. After a dry winter the King Valley had several heavy rainfalls combined with high temperatures and humidity in spring and early summer…Most of our fruit was harvested prior to the March heatwave…
Both of these new releases from Redbank have come from difficult vintages – the 2011 Pinot Gris had to deal with the rain, this 2008 Shiraz faced the heat. Who would be a farmer?
This smells and tastes of stressed fruit – it’s not bad but it is a touch arid and short. An earth and iron complexity lies alongside plums and Ribena. Violets and mint too. A scaterring of herbs and veg lurk in the background. I’m tempted to say that it’s both under and over ripe. The oak feels rough-hewn and the fruit never really merges with it. I guess there’s some rustic appeal if you can find it for the right price. Average
Region: King Valley
Alcohol: 14.0%
Closure: Cork
Price: $24.95
Tasted: November 2011