We had a very early start to vintage in 2015, with generally mild conditions throughout. We had only a handful of hot days, which allowed natural acids to develop nicely. This was a very short, sharp vintage, with most winemakers finishing their vintage well before Easter.  Yields were down, somewhere between 10 and 30% depending on variety.  Joch’s take on the whole affair? ‘Fast, early and pretty’.

We have found a method that works here at BoB when it comes to making our Bosworth Shiraz, and we stick to it. At the risk of using that hackneyed old saying ‘no point in re-inventing the wheel’, in reality this is our mantra. So, when making this, the 15^th incarnation of our Bozzie Shiraz, we pick the grapes when they are sugar and flavour ripe, crush them and then ferment in small open vessels. We drain off the fermenting juice and pump it over the ‘cap’ of grape skins 3 times a day which helps add colour, flavour and tannins to the wine. The wine then finishes ferment in barrel, of various shapes, sizes and ages. The main emphasis is French oak barrels, but there is always a couple of new American ones too. We also use a small component of cordon-cut, vine dried Shiraz (which is used to make the ‘White Boar’), which we add to the blend just before bottling. We have done this ever since we started making the BoB Shiraz. We find it adds a lovely spiciness and intrigue to the wine. Simple stuff, but compelling too….

• Huon Hooke www.huonhooke.com

  Deep, dark, bright red/purple colour. The wine is reserved on the nose where it has some sweet blackberry and char-oak aromas - very appealing. In the mouth, it’s rich and full, supple and fruit-sweet, with delicious flavour and balance. Blackberry flavours augmented by other more savoury nuances make it a compelling drink even at this young age.

  92 points and ****

  4/10/2017

• The Wine Front Gary Walsh September 2017

  Lovely people at the Battle of Bosworth, not that that matters, unless you have to live with them.

  Liquorice, plum and chocolate, a little earth and a vanilla/floral note. Medium to full bodied, attractive tannin and density, red fruits peeking though curtains of dark chocolate, a pleasing ferrous character, and pretty tidy length. Very nicely done.

  Rated : 92 Points

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