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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
On March 20 1862, Saltram crushed its first grapes and produced 1800 gallons of a wine that was simply called ‘No 1. Shiraz’. Over the years successive vintages of No.1 has won numerous awards at major wine shows across Australia. The secret to this wine's success lies in the extraordinary heritage of old Barossa vines along the eastern fringes of the Valley floor.
A richly layered wine, brimming with notes of blood plums, mulberries and bitter chocolate. Undertones of cassis and complex dried spices combine with subtle oak, enriching the wines aromatic nose. Full bodied, plush and mouth filling with savoury, velvety tannins on the pallet. Balanced and complex, exerting multi layered concentrated flavours.
Varietal: Shiraz 100%
Region: Barossa
Tasting note: Aromas of fresh lime and honeysuckle flowers combined with baked apple notes. Full bodied, plush and mouth filling with savoury, velvety tannins. This wine is balanced and complex, exerting multi layered concentrated flavours. A seamless structure and lingering flavour.
Awards & Accolades:
Gold 2019 Adelaide Wine Show
Silver 2018 National Wine Show of Australia
Silver 2018 Melbourne Wine Awards
Silver 2018 Barossa Wine Show
Bronze 2018 Perth Royal Wine Show
Bronze 2018 Royal Hobart Wine Show
Bronze 2018 KPMG Sydney Royal Wine Show
Bronze 2018 Adelaide Wine Show
Wine Information
William Salter arrived in South Australia from Exeter, England aboard the Caroline in December, 1839 and in 1844 this recently arrived immigrant was one of the first people to purchase land in the newly opened land survey known as the Barossa Valley.
In 1859, Salter formed a partnership with his son Edward, then aged 22, founding the firm W Salter & Son and they began their vineyard operations with the clearing and planting of 10 acres of shiraz at the eastern end of the property. A shed was erected for making wine and a cellar was carved out of a nearby hill. Their first vintage in 1862 produced 1500 litres of wine they simply called “No.1 Shiraz”. By 1891 the size of the vintage had grown to 182,000 litres, ¾ of which was high quality dry red, mainly shiraz, for export markets.
In 1871, William Salter passed away leaving Edward to run the property. Edward planted more vines and by 1873, the vintage was harvested from 12 hectares of Shiraz and 4 hectares of Palomino grapes used for sherry. In the same year, Edward employed Alfred Birks who introduced Saltram wines to New Zealand before setting up the famous AP Birks winery in Clare.
By 1891 the size of the vintage had grown to 182,000 litres, 3/4 of which was high quality dry red, mainly shiraz, for export markets. In 1898, Edward's sons Charles and Leslie entered into a partnership with their father each holding a quarter share of the business. Charles was appointed manager, a position he held until 1902 when he left to start his own business.
Leslie succeeded his brother and separated the winemaking operations from the viticulture and focussed on red wine production for export. The quality was good and the Saltram wines received a number of awards abroad.
In 1938, winemaking was put into the hands of Fred Ludlow who had been in the service of Saltram since 1917 - he retained this position until retirement in 1953. A young Brian Dolan graduated from Roseworthy college in 1949 and was appointed manager at Saltram by Henry Martin. By 1954 Brian had taken full winemaking control at Saltram in the position of Senior Winemaker and was eventually promoted to General Manager of H.M Martin and Son in 1959. Brian continued as General Manager and later as Production Director through until 1979, concluding a distinguished 30-year involvement with Saltram winemaking.
In 1960, the legendary Peter Lehmann succeeded Dolan at Saltram. Lehmann lightened the traditional styles and made distinctive reds and fine ports. He encouraged the planting of cabernet sauvignon, harvested earlier for better pH control and introduced new oak casks.
In 1979 Lehman left Saltram to form what is today known as Peter Lehmann Wines. The late 70s through to the early 90s were difficult times at Saltram with ownership changes and management shuffling seeing the focus on wine styles continually shifting.
n 1992, things took a turn for the better when Brian Dolan's son, Nigel, who was born in Mamre Brook House, was appointed as chief winemaker. Nigel's first vintage with Saltram was actually as a cellar-hand in 1979 but returned to carry the mantle of head winemaker until 2007.
Nigel took Saltram back to its roots, focussing on Barossa sourced grapes and the styles of wine that had made Saltram famous for a century. Nigel's achievements during his time with Saltram include being named South Australian Red Winemaker of the Year in 1996 and Barossa Winemaker of the Year in 2000. In 2001 he was a finalist in the Qantas Australian Winemaker of the Year competition and in 2003 he was the winner of one of Australian wines greatest prizes.
In 2009, Saltram celebrates its 150th anniversary. To mark this milestone, Saltram releases a 1959 Vintage Rare Tawny and the first release of The Journal Shiraz and celebrates with intimate dinners with Saltram lovers around the country.
