Mount Camel Ridge Shiraz CONFIRM VINTAGE

Shiraz Viognier Heathcote Victoria
The key to making a great wine lies in the creation of a great vineyard that's managed by dedicated growers. Mount Camel Ridge was planned and executed in just such a manner, to establish a site which can yield controlled amounts of the most resplendent Shiraz wine. Yields are kept low and the property is farmed to sustainable land management techniques, the results are worth the painstaking efforts. Already integrated and drinking beautifully now, Mount Camel Ridge exudes a lively lifted nose due to the inclusion of a judicious amount of Viognier.
Available in cases of 6
Case of 6
$245.50
Mt Camel's vineyard is blessed by idyllic terrain and growing seasons. The grapes ripen evenly and in beautiful condition, a wholistically managed vineyard, there is never any adjustment of pH. All vines are cane pruned, the number of buds are kept to what is deemed appropriate for each, with low yields of exceptional fruit being the aim, a single tonne per acre. Mount Camel Ridge is a dryland vineyard and drippers have never been installed. The grapes are hand picked, fermented naturally in 500kg open vats, hand plunged, basket pressed and matured under a selection of seasoned and new French oak. Mt Camel is racked two to three times during fifteen to twenty months of maturation, lightly fined but unfiltered.
Dark red colour. Fresh blueberry, blackberry and plum preserve aromas offer impressive precision before a slow mounting degree of aromatic spiciness before a solid, generously flavoured palate. Orange blossom and white pepper flavours, characters of chocolate and dark plum combine into a powerful yet beautifully balanced wine with a touch of sweetness, culminating in a clean dry finish, clean pomegranate acids and finely grained tannins. A Shiraz of beauty, individuality and finesse that reflects the terroir, grape variety and climes from which it came.
Mount Camel Ridge
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Mount Camel Ridge
The key to great wines is great vineyards worked by dedicated growers

Mount Camel Ridge Estate is situated on the eastern face at the cooler, south end of the Mount Camel Range 17km north of Heathcote in Central Victoria. The objective is to produce wine of beauty and finesse that reflects the terroir, the grape variety, the vintage and the site from which they came.

Mount Camel Ridge

The site is gently sloping and therefore well drained. It faces east to receive the early morning sun, invaluable during years of frost, ensuring the vines are not affected. In summer the vines are sheltered from the hot western sun in the late afternoon by the higher part of the hill. The soil is predominantly Cambrian, with small pockets of red and black clay, hill wash and rock. Thus blocks are planted to different soil types and at varying elevations.

The vines at Mount Camel Ridge yield Shiraz 45%, Cabernet Sauvignon 25%, Merlot 20%; the remainder consists of Viognier, Petit Verdot and Mourvedre. Clones have been selected with the intention to produce a northern Rhone style Shiraz and a Bordeaux style Cabernet Sauvignon within the Australian context. The property is 49 hectares and 18 hectares is under vine, although not all is as yet productive.

The land had always been a sheep property and had never been cropped. After aquiring the site, Gwenda and Ian Langford embarked on a programme of mulching to achieve maximum soil structure, initially by spreading chicken manure. Since then, a seaweed fertiliser has been applied and all prunings are mulched back into the rows annually. The property benefits from the prevailing winds along the ridge, hence copper or lime sulphur fungicide are never utilized. As a result of intensive work worms are reappearing, there is now an extensive frog population, along with ladybirds and other invertebrates, not to mention a range of beautiful spiders.

Mount Camel Ridge

The grapes ripen evenly and in beautiful condition so there is no adjustment of pH. The vines are cane pruned, the number of buds are kept to what is deemed appropriate for each, with low yields as the aim (approximately one tonne per acre). It is a dryland vineyard and drippers have never been installed. The grapes are hand picked, fermented naturally in 500kg open vats, hand plunged, basket pressed and matured in French oak (new 25%). The wine is racked two to three times during the fifteen to twenty months maturation and is lightly fined but not filtered.

Given the natural balance and flavours these wines are attractive when young. Mount Camel Ridge will benefit from cellaring, but high quality wine should be attractive at any age.

Mount Camel Ridge