Home of the Dero Syrah 2023
(3 bottle limit)
Way back living in the western suburbs of Sydney. We had always romanced about owning our own vineyard – In fact I planted four Shiraz vines in our front yard with a view to making wine in a bucket!
Fast forward to Phase Three of our lives & owning a property in Eden Valley it was finally time!
Having next to no vineyard experience couldn't stop us. And by the good grace of a few local vineyard owners letting us collect cuttings from their special old vines, gave us a great start!
Our first little vineyard is set out around the old barn only 50m from the house. We call it "The Old Man's Block" at the head of the vineyard stands a mighty Gum Tree estimated at around 400 years of age. In the base of the trunk is a huge outline of an old man's face - as depicted on the back label!
In 2020 as a family we planted these 748 special rootling’s in the Old Man’s Block.
In the years to follow, we enjoyed nurturing them, watching them grow and change with the seasons..
Finally on the 6th of April 2023 the kids where given the day off school to stay home and help hand pick (and eat!) a mere 319kg of our first ever crop that was grown on a scale that’s not economically viable unless you’re doing it for the love of it. Ans the quality that’s near impossible to buy.
This intensity flavored fruit travelled around 30 meters to our little winery and was carefully put in tank for what ended up to be a 22-day whole cluster fermentation.
It was then Basket Pressed with no winemaking additions and put to a seasoned Barrique for 15 months.
In the blending line-up it was a stand out single Barrique that begged to be bottled by itself. We bottled the wine ourselves at home. Unfined, unfiltered with minimal Sulphur.
Despite its modest alcohol of 12.2%.
To us it's an elegant pure expression of the variety. Medium weight with a fine tight long liquorice laden finish.
A true estate wine. Grown, produced, bottled and labelled at home with all four of our little gang doing their bit. We are very proud of this wine.
Only 270 bottles produced We would like to share it with as many people as possible. So, we ask to keep your order to a MAXIMUM of 3 bottles for this one please.
2023 HOME of the DERO Syrah
The following vineyards make an appearance to form our current release.
*Hoffmann DV Mickan Block Shiraz - Adrian Hoffmann.
*Wilton Hill Old Vine Shiraz Eden Valley - Joel Mattschoss.
*Marsen Springs Eden Valley Pinot Noir - Tony Walker.
*BVD Road Block Shiraz - Ebenezer.
*The Starship Block Shiraz - Flaxman Valley.
The fruit was hand harvested at various beaumes ranging from 300kg to 700kg parcels. The majority going through whole cluster fermentations. One small parcel was de-stemmed, hand plunged on skins for five weeks and Basket Pressed. All transfers in the cellar made gently via gravity and the wines put to French Oak Barriques with inclusion of one seasoned Hogs Head for a 17 month elevage in our cool cellar.
A Barrique of the previous years 2021 Dero, and the sister Barrique of 2021 Le Bomb both wonderfully stood the test of time in the cellar and are included in the blend.
Dero was bottled at the end of winter without fining or filtration with only a small addition of S02.
This release saw ruthless barrel selection, using only eight barrels of the sixteen available to give us a mere 1800L blend of the best wine we could produce.
In our opinion 2022 Dero is a broody, bright and slick rendition that comes to life with a good whiff of air and sits stylistically between the 20 & 21 releases. With a slight elevation in packaging such as a new bottle, Diam Tradition 30 and a little wax to top it off!