Tech stuff

How's it taste?

Vintage 2016 produced a Blackwell of intense colour and flavour. Blackberry, cocoa and baking spice aromas fill the glass. The palate is full bodied mixing dark fruits and black forest cake. Rich and opulent, this wine will age gracefully over the years.

How was it made?

A short winter and warm dry spring got the growing season off to an early start with mild days. A well timed rain in mid-January brought relief to dry vineyards and rainwater tanks alike after many months of no rain. The early start and ideal ripening conditions after the rain brought on vintage at a frantic pace, with all the 2016 wines showing abundant aromas and depth of flavours. Barossa Valley Shiraz yields were slightly below average, and all the wines showed good concentration, superb colour and richness. The St Hallett winemaking philosophy is about focussing on the fruit and it’s provenance. Simply minimal intervention and maximum attention . We tailor our winemaking to the individual parcel using the years of accumulated knowledge we have of these vineyards and their individual characters. The pump over regime and temperature of the ferment varies across the blocks and can also change with the vintage conditions. Times on skins is typically in the range of 8-12 days and ferment temperatures range from 20-30 degrees Celsius. Once the wine achieves balance on tasting it is pressed off skins and goes directly to barrel. We match barrels from a number of cooperages and ages to each parcel. We are looking for balance and flavour integration in the wines before we blend them together to create the Blackwell Barossa Shiraz style . The full bodied palate has black forest cake flavours and textures of prodigious intensity and persistence. It is opulent, balanced with a certain vitality that will see the wine age gracefully over the years.

Who made it?

Established in 1944, St Hallett wines have been producing Barossa Valley wines from a range of vineyard sites across the wine growing region. The winemaking team comprises of the equally passionate duo of Toby Barlow and senior winemaker Stuart Blackwell. St Hallett wines is located in Tanunda in the Barossa Valley of South Australia. The cellar door looks out over the Barossa Ranges and part of the vineyards selected for St Hallett winemaking. St Hallett uses up to 700 hectares of vines to produce the broad offering from the winemaking team. While old vine Shiraz is king, the range does flesh out with a white and red blend (Poacher’s and Gamekeepers), a Semillon and an Eden Valley Riesling. A Grenache Shiraz Touriga Nacional wine is also produced. The flagship wines are cellar worthy and show great complexity and intensity. The winery pursues a philosophy of ‘melding evolution and innovation’ seeking the best expressions of Barossa Valley fruit with an understanding of the climates and terroirs the vineyard sites occupy. Old vine, particularly Shiraz, production is revered with an emphasis on texture and integrity of flavour.