Luddite Shiraz . . . 2017

Luddite Shiraz 2017

The 2017 vintage was characterised by very hot, dry conditions in the lead up to the harvest.  However, January and February were relatively cool and this allowed the grapes to ripen slower than initially thought.  Due to this coolness, the natural acidity remained high which lifted the overall quality of the fruit.  We had a slightly bigger crop than the previous two vintages so we could pick both the old and young block separately.  They remained separate during fermentation and maturation, only coming together in the final blend one month before bottling.  We continued to experiment with adding stalks to the fermentation, up to 30% in some of the open fermenters.

The tank fermented portions spent a total of five weeks on skins before being pressed and allowed to settle in tank before being racked to barrel.  Of the total barrel selection, 32% new Oak down to 4th fill with mostly French Oak being used.  After 2 years in barrel, we made up the final barrel selection before bottling.

Grapes were sourced from Luddite vineyard sites:

Old Block  -  picked on the 10th February 2017

Young Block  -  picked on the 14th February 2017

Average analysis of fruit at harvest

24.8° Balling, TA – 6.8 g/l, pH – 3.42

Tasting Notes as at 24th August 2020

Appearance:  Incredibly dark plummy in colour with purple tones towards the edges.

Nose:  Floral, sweet fruit, cinnamon, touch of vanilla and a hint of fynbos.

Palate:  Bold juicy fruit on entry with fresh tannin grip on mid-pallet followed by dark, spicy fruit.  The finish is long and invitingly decadent. 

Analysis of the wine

Alcohol: 14.86%         pH: 3.55          TA: 5.59 g/l     RS: 2.09 g/l

The Luddites
Niels Verburg and his wife Penny are unabashed luddites who apply a technology-resistant philosophy to their methods, ‘farming conscientiously with minimum mechanization’ and aiming to make a wine that’s ‘as natural as possible, with little or no intervention’. ‘It’s about knowing that when you buy a bottle of Luddite, what’s inside is genuine and made with integrity,’ says Niels.   __________________________________________________________________________