Barossa Valley winery St Hallett will unveil two new vintage wines – 2016 Old Block Shiraz and 2018 Blackwell Shiraz – along with three new releases – the 2018 Higher Earth Syrah, 2018 Mighty Ox Shiraz (1.5L) and 2015 Planted 1919 Shiraz next month.

St Hallett Senior Winemaker Helen McCarthy said: “The St Hallett winemaking philosophy is relatively simple, minimal intervention and maximum attention. We tailor fermentation and maturation to each parcel of the highest quality fruit to reveal the rich textures, depth and diversity of Barossa fruit.

“With every vintage our winemaking team learn more about the influence of the site on the flavour and quality of the wines. We are thrilled to be sharing some of our best wines yet in the 2020 annual vintage release.”

This year, both the Blackwell Shiraz and Old Block Shiraz release a new vintage; 2018 and 2016 respectively. The 2018 vintage was similar to more recent vintages with steady ripening throughout the season and overall a very dry growing season delivering densely flavoured wines.

More giving in rainfall, the 2016 vintage saw well-timed rains in November and January which ensured vines had enough moisture to support ripening right through to harvest. This delivered the ideal vineyard outcomes of excellent yields and quality.

The recently published Halliday Wine Companion 2021 Edition scored the 2016 Old Block 97 Points and Gold.

A new addition to St Hallett’s premium wines this year is the 2018 Higher Earth Syrah. Offering a bouquet of dark cherry and raspberry fruit with pepper characters, the inspiration for this Syrah was to showcase the unique flavours and tannins from Eden Valley, an area Helen McCarthy is particularly passionate about. It was recently awarded Gold at the Perth Royal Show.

Sourced from vineyards north west of the Barossa Valley at elevations between 250m and 310m above sea level, the Mighty Ox is a full-bodied wine with prominent oak characters of vanilla and dark chocolate. Rounding out the vintage release is Planted 1919, sourced from Barossa vines that are more than 100 years old and limited to just 360 bottles in Australia.

“St Hallett has long understood the importance of nurturing old vines and crafting wines that pay homage to the Barossa Survivor (70+ years) and Centenarian (100+ years) vines that have stood the test of time, and Planted 1919 is a perfect example of this,” McCarthy said.

“This will be St Hallett’s most luxurious Shiraz ever released. Planted 1919 exhibits fine flavours of dark fruits and dried herbs and gives way to a flinty and wet stone texture supported by a fine, pure fruit line.”

The St Hallett annual vintage release wines, including the 2016 Old Block Shiraz (RRP $159), 2018 Blackwell Shiraz (RRP $54.99), 2018 Mighty Ox Shiraz (RRP $210) and 2018 Higher Earth Syrah (RRP $60) will be available from November 12 in major
retailers and select independent stores nationally.

Planted 1919 (RRP $450) will be available from the St Hallett cellar door and limited to fine wine retailers.