2019 Place of Changing Winds Heathcote Syrah Second Bottling
Heathcote, VIC
An intriguing, multi-faceted Heathcote Syrah that builds and builds, gently and deliciously.
$39.00
Out of Stock
Impeccable balance, it’s a very fine shiraz indeed.
Huon Hooke (The Real Review)
About The Wine
Australian Shiraz/Syrah fans may have a new icon producer to follow, if you like your reds with elegance, complexity and incredible drinkability.
One batch of Place of Changing Winds Heathcote Syrah looked a little different from the rest, and expressed a lot of individuality that made it really stand out from the rest.
Owner Rob Walters decided that this batch would benefit from further ageing - so, in what some might say a risky step, they set it aside for 30 months in large, wooden casks. The result of this is what has made their second bottling.
This extended ageing has created a more fine and complex wine - it's spicy and seductive, and an incredibly delicious expression of Heathcote Syrah. So nice they bottled it twice.
About Place of Changing Winds
The Place of Changing Winds vineyard was planted by notable Australian wine importer, journalist, and author, Rob Walters.
Rob had hunted for a special site to plant in the cooler climes of Australia for many years. One day, esteemed grower/winemaker at Bindi, Michael Dhillon, called him and said, "Rob, I've found your vineyard."
The site sits at 500m above sea level in the Macedon Ranges. Rob has farmed it organically from the start. Planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at an incredible average of 15,000 vines per hectare, this is one of the most exciting emerging viticultural projects in the country.
New to the Place of Change of Winds range are wines from Heathcote high country, organically planted in collaboration with Rhone legend Alain Graillot. These delicious Syrahs, and a Marsanne for the first time from the 2019 vintage, were previously under the Graillot Australia label but are now fully vinified at Place of Changing Winds in Macedon.
Macedon, VIC
From The Producer
Fruit from a single vineyard on the east-facing slopes of Colbinabbin in the northern Mount Camel Range subzone of Heathcote. The soils here are the famous ‘Cambrian soils’—red dirt made up of eroded basalt over limestone, shot through with greenstone and jasper.
The wines were grown organically, without any chemical inputs, and with minimal irrigation. This site is not owned by Place of Changing Winds, but they work very closely with the grower, the plot is managed to their specifications, and they determine the harvest date.
The longer ageing has produced a finer, more integrated, and complex wine. It’s spicier and more savoury than our first bottling, but also more floral, and seductive, with a lovely mouthfeel. And it has great drive and freshness on the finish. In short, it’s a delicious wine that we’re very proud of!
Blend : Shiraz (100%)
ABV : 13.50%
Closure : Cork
Drink Until : 2028
Bottle Size : 750ml
Macedon Ranges, VIC
Critic Reviews
"This is a special second bottling, which spent extra time in oak, a full 30 months all told. It was matured in (large) 1000 lt and 2000 lt oak so the extra time wasn’t in search of extra oak flavour; if anything, the opposite.The bottle I tried seemed quite reserved on the nose, even allowed a good amount of time to breathe, but the palate is quite something. The push through the finish here is elite. I mentioned the descriptor ‘sultana’ in my original review but I don’t see any of that now; it seems darker and more savoury, with dry liquorice notes running through red/black cherry, along with smoked tobacco, along with sweet and woodsy spice aplenty. But really this wine is all about the finish, which is dynamite. It’s peacock’s tail territory. Dry, structural, plenty going on, a touch of the regal. I’m up a point, score-wise, and I’m tempted to be up by more. It’s a fabulous wine." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
"The colour is deepish red/purple and the complex bouquet has pepper-spice, floral and fragrant vegetable aromas, reflecting the whole-bunch ferment. The palate is elegant and very intense, medium to full-bodied and texturally fine-grained, the tannins silky and lovely. Impeccable balance, it’s a very fine shiraz indeed." - Huon Hooke (The Real Review)
"The first incarnation (Colbinabbin Vineyard Syrah 2019) was released in 2021. This second bottling started out with 100% whole bunches in small fermenters, wild fermentation then aged in 1000L and 2000L Stockinger casks for 30 months. This has come together beautifully, revealing a more savoury outlook with a composed, medium-bodied structure. It’s peppery and spicy, with hints of bay leaves mingling with the red-fruit spectrum. Detailed, fine tannins are a feature and it finishes long and convincingly." - Jane Faulkner (Halliday Wine Companion)
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