Vinous Heroin Society
2017
Ballad of the Broken Boy: Chapter 4, “For Al Forever”
Syrah - Viognier
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Eden Valley - Australia
About
Stats
- Grapes: 93% Shiraz - 6% Viognier - 1% Gewürztraminer
- Vineyard: Single site in the Eden Valley (Shiraz & Viognier) - Single vineyard in the Adelaide Hills (Gewürztraminer)
- Vine Age: Average: 35-years-old
- Soil Type: Varied, Primarily Quartzite Sand over Fractured Brown Clay
- Viticulture: Practicing Organic
- Fermentation: Native yeast – 100% whole-cluster
- Skin Contact: 6 months total (1 month for fermentation, 5 months-post fermentation)
- Aging: 4.5 months in Stainless Steel tank - 18 months in second use cherrywood smoked American oak hogshead
- pH: 3.6
- Total Acidity: 6.8 g/L
- Total SO2: 4 ppm
- Total Production: 135 cases
Tasting Note
This wine has a perky-peaky edginess, a lift of pretty sour tang, good length, richness, dark fruits and minty-herbal-spice. It comes alive with food. Delicious and different.
Press & Reviews
The Wine Front
94
"VHS wines, aka Vinous Heroin Society, is the work of quixotic and fascinating winemaker Samuel J Smith. Sam stands out from the pack, indeed, eschews limelight for the pursuit of his very, very individual projects. The underpinning is of course organic vineyard sources, the winemaking with zero additions (per se, but more on that later), including no sulphur...
The wine instantly reminded me of an old school Chinato, but without the depth of herb ‘n’ spice expected from that, but has the sweetness, the perky-peaky edginess, a lift of pretty sour tang, good length, richness, dark fruits and minty-herbal-spice. Indeed, there’s so much going on here it’s almost hard to know where to sniff, look and sip. That being said, I went at the glass with gusto. It’s a ripper. It came alive with food. It went well with couch time after. Tannins lightly chisel, the finish trails with spice and fruit. You’d go it for being a fuller red but there’s so much freshness too. Ok, out of the box a bit, but delicious, captivating, stellar drinking."
- Mike Bennie
The wine instantly reminded me of an old school Chinato, but without the depth of herb ‘n’ spice expected from that, but has the sweetness, the perky-peaky edginess, a lift of pretty sour tang, good length, richness, dark fruits and minty-herbal-spice. Indeed, there’s so much going on here it’s almost hard to know where to sniff, look and sip. That being said, I went at the glass with gusto. It’s a ripper. It came alive with food. It went well with couch time after. Tannins lightly chisel, the finish trails with spice and fruit. You’d go it for being a fuller red but there’s so much freshness too. Ok, out of the box a bit, but delicious, captivating, stellar drinking."
- Mike Bennie