The Stepping Stone Shiraz is dark crimson red in colour with dark chocolate aromas with cherries and creamy coconut oak. The palate is rich, soft and sweet with fruit of the forest flavours of mulberry, blueberry and dark cherries with hints of liquorice and mouth filling tannins.
Grape Variety - Shiraz
Winemaker's Notes - Padthaway is a region renowned for the production of premium Australian Shiraz. It is climatically cool, enhancing fragrance, colour, spice, and tannin development, while the ripening season is warm enough to give generosity of flavour and intense fruit characters. The 2002 vintage was cooler than usual with a long slow ripening period, and lower fruit yields. The fruit is selected in the vineyard and not harvested until the winemakers decide the flavours and tannins are sufficiently ripe. Once harvested, the fruit is cold-soaked for a few days, to lift the natural berry fruit flavours so prevalent in Padthaway Shiraz. The fruit is fermented in Vinomatics that are pumped over regularly to introduce oxygen to the ferment, maximising flavour and structure prior to being matured in Oak - all with a view to making the very best wine.
Background Information - The Stonehaven Winery is a modern facility situated just 6 kilometres south of the township of Padthaway, ideally positioned to utilise the quality fruit being sourced from both long established vineyards and newly developed projects. Dedicated to the release of fine contemporary Australian wines that reflect the unique 'terroir' in which they are cultivated, Stonehaven sources the finest fruit from the Coonawarra, Wrattonbully, Elgin Valley and Padthaway and processes it with the latest oenological expertise and equipment. |