Philip Shaw The Idiot Shiraz, Orange, NSW

Description

Philip Shaw The Idiot Shiraz is part of the Character Series of wines from Philip Shaw who has vineyard located in the Orange wine growing region of New South Wales.

The grapes for Philip Shaw The Idiot Shiraz are sourced from Shaw’s 47 hectare Koomooloo vineyard. Philip Shaw acquired the Koomooloo vineyard site in 1988. It is in close proximity to the region’s highest peak, Mt Canobolas (an extinct volcano), Koomooloo vineyard rises to an altitude of 900m with red loam soils over limestone. With less than 1% of Australian vineyards above 600M, Koomooloo is one of the highest vineyards in Australia. Although it is not unusual to see snowfalls during winter and into spring, the altitude provides cooler conditions throughout the growing season. Koomooloo is a unique hand-kept vineyard with a routine of hand pruning, shoot thinning, leaf plucking, crop thinning, and hand picking happening in multiples if needed. Due to the high elevation, the climate of the Orange wine region is one of the coolest in Australia. The rainfall is winter-spring dominant. The three driest months are the ripening period of February, March and April. Orange is also noted for intense sunlight, which, coupled with the cool growing season, result in wines of bright fruit and distinct elegance. Shiraz from Orange is quite unique in style compared to most other regions in Australia and is reminiscent of the Northern Rhone, France.

The grapes for the Philip Shaw The Idiot Shiraz were destemmed and hand sorted.  Berries were split and tipped into open vats for fermentation.  Native yeasts carried out primary fermentation imparting layers and depth.  During fermentation the wine was managed carefully to obtain balance and structure. The wine was pressed from its skins and seeds, and racked to oak for maturation.  The wine was left to evolve in oak for 10 months before blending for bottling. 100% Shiraz.