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Wine Description
The Story
Australia’s Yarra Valley has long been associated with daring, interesting and often counter-intuitive winemaking. Why? Because the quality of the land and the grapes which grow there is so high, the wineries which call Yarra their home can afford to think outside the box, pretty much safe in the knowledge that the vines are going to deliver the goods come harvesting season. Airlie Bank is a decent example of this. It’s the second label of Punt Road - one of the leading wineries in the region - and it’s overseen by Tim Shand, who’s known in the area as something of a maverick, always keen to celebrate the unusual, the outsiders of the grape world, and the experimental. His goal, since joining Airlie Bank a few years ago, has been to bring interesting and unexpected wines to the mid-range price bracket, and to widen the horizons of Australia’s wine loving population. The results have been extremely well received, and even the more challenging bottles brought out by Airlie Bank have found themselves snapped up by lovers of authentic Aussie produce.
Tim Shand is a straight-shooting guy, but his wines belie his vinous deep thinking, especially when it comes to the more experimental wines being turned out under the Airlie Bank label.
The new release of Franc, celebrating the joys of Cabernet Sauvignon's slurpy younger cousin Cabernet Franc, is a great one, a perfect example of the long, cool 2017 vintage.
Cabernet Franc shares the dark fruit spectrum with Cabernet Sauvignon, but has a softer texture and less tannin. This wine is great vehicle for some of the spicier, meatier flavours that the wine has, along with its charming texture.
Easy going and easy to like, Franc is great to have around.
Vintage 2018
AUSTRALIA: Very promising quality with the most optimistic reviewers declaring 2018 great in every region and for every variety. The more cautious view is that early frosts reduced yields, but that consistent good weather throughout the second half of the growing season actually resulted in great potential.
Barossa 2018 vintage to savor
The 2018 Barossa vintage was completed at the end of April 2018, with growers and winemakers satisfied with a high quality vintage and good yields.
“The flavors and colors of the reds are wonderful, and the natural acids in the Eden Valley whites surprisingly high, with early varieties this year including Riesling, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet,” said Louisa Rose, head of winemaking at Yalumba.
The growing season is off to a good start, with winter 2017 precipitation about 10% above average. However, spring rainfall was only 78% of average in the Barossa Valley (BV) and 98% in the Eden Valley (EV), and December rainfall was only 57%. % of average in BV (88% in EV).
Drier soils, combined with warmer than average days in October and November (October 2ºC above average in VB (1.8ºC in EV) and November 1.1ºC above average in BV (1.6 ºC in EV), allowed the vine canopies to grow quickly, to flower well and to form a good number of clusters.
January and February were hot and dry, with very hot temperatures in February slowing the rate of ripening. January was slightly above average (1.4°C during the day but closer to average at night) and February was about average during the day, but with nighttime temperatures significantly warmer than average. average in the Barossa Valley (5.8°C warmer).
With summer rainfall at 50% of average, growers with access to water, soil moisture monitoring, good irrigation management and healthy soils experienced less stress – and subsequently delivered healthy fruit and consistent yields.
The Indian summer of March and early April was “the icing on the cake”, with average temperatures, without extremes, perfect for ending the vintage. The 28-30mm of rain on April 14-15 did not cause any major problems for picking – and was a welcome post-harvest watering for most Barossa growers.
Overall, in 2018, Barossa Valley crushed 56,970 tonnes*, down 22% from the 2017 vintage, but 9% from the five-year average. In 2018, Eden Valley crushed 11,593 tonnes*, down 3% compared to 2017.
The total Barossa crush of 68,563 tonnes* represented 9% of the total volume and 25% of the total crush value in South Australia.
Average prices for Barossa Valley varieties remained stable in 2018, with Shiraz at $2252 per tonne, down 1% from last year. At Eden Valley, the average price of Shiraz increased by 11% to $2636 per tonne and Cabernet Sauvignon increased by 15% to $2354.
*Wine Australia estimates the response rate for wine grape crush in South Africa to be 85%, so the actual total Barossa crush is estimated at between 75,000 and 80,000 tonnes.