Wolf Blass Platinum Label Shiraz is the ultimate expression of our winemakers’ masterful skills, showcasing a blend of the finest parcels of fruit from selected South Australian vineyards. Made in extremely limited quantities from low yielding vines, Wolf Blass Platinum Label is, quite literally, the pick of the crop, a wine crafted to epitomise the best of vintage, variety and vineyard.

Prior to the 1998 debut vintage, the Wolf Blass winemakers identified a number of vineyards as worthy of the ‘Platinum Vineyard’ status. The key characters demonstrated by these vineyards are intensity of colour, concentration of fruit flavour, an elegant, balanced structure and long, fine tannins.

The 2003 Wolf Blass Platinum Label Shiraz is deep purple in colour. The lifted, fragrant nose shows spicy, ripe berry and dark chocolate characters. The palate is elegant, rich and concentrated, with complex layers of blackberry, freshly ground coffee and spice supported by integrated, smoky oak, a seamless, balanced structure and long, fine tannins.

VITICULTURE
The fruit was sourced from selected vineyards in the Eden and Barossa Valleys. The Eden Valley fruit contributes fragrance and elegance, with the Barossa Valley component adding richness and concentration on the middle palate.

The 2003 vintage was warm and dry to begin, becoming milder later in the season. These conditions prompted an early vintage with the fruit reaching optimum ripeness evenly across the region. The vintage produced Shiraz with dense colour, excellent varietal character and soft tannins.

WINEMAKING
The individual vineyard parcels were crushed, de-stemmed and fermented separately in small batch open fermenters. During fermentation, a combination of plunging and pumping-over was used to maximise extraction of colour and tannin while retaining concentration and depth of fruit. Some parcels were pressed off skins after 7 days to develop a full, rich, middle palate while others remained on skins for up to 14 days to enhance the tannin structure and length of flavour. After pressing, the wines were transferred into new and seasoned French oak for 20 months maturation prior to blending and bottling.

SUGGESTED FOOD
Enjoy with rare-roasted eye fillet of beef, venison or kangaroo.

CELLARING
The 2003 Wolf Blass Platinum Label Shiraz has been bottled under screwcap to preserve the style of the wine and to ensure that the quality is maintained. This wine will display intense fruit in its youth and will develop soft integrated characters if cellared over the next decade.

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

Harvest Date: April 2003
pH: 3.57
Acidity: 7.2 g/L
Alcohol: 15%
Residual Sugar: 1.6 g/L
Bottling Date: March 2005

SHOW RESULTS

Gold
2005 Royal Melbourne Wine Show (46)
2005 Royal Brisbane Wine Show (34)