Small Gully Wines
2015
‘Mr. Black’s Concoction’
GSM
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Barossa Valley - Australia
About
Mr. Black’s Concoction is a hearty GSM blend made in a classic Barossa Valley style. Fruit for this blend is sourced from three different sub-regions. The Grenache is dry-grown by a 2nd generation grower in Kalimna, Northern Barossa. The vines were planted in 1939 during World War II and are classified ‘old vines’. The Kalimna region is note-worthy for its sandy soils where yield is low and quality of fruit is consistently exceptional. The Shiraz is grown on Roennfeldt Rd, Marananga on the Small Gully Wines Estate. The red clay soils and the rolling landscape of the Western ridge offer an exceptional depth and richness to the Shiraz grown here. Finally, the Mataro parcel for this GSM is grown a little further west in the Seppeltsfeild area. The terrain here flattens somewhat in comparison to it’s neighbour Marananga. The 2015 vintage was supported by good rains in the winter and spring, followed by dry, warm ripening conditions which encouraged earlier harvest dates than normal.
The Grenache fruit ferments in stainless steel vessels over 5-6 days and is then given an extended time on skins, 1+ weeks to allow for maximum color and flavor extraction. It is then pressed to seasoned oak for a minimum of 18 months before blending trials began. The Shiraz is fermented in 5-ton stainless steel vessels and pumped over twice a day for 5 days. The wine/skins are then pressed with some residual sugar remaining allowing the final fizz of the ferment to occur in seasoned oak. The Matarò (Mouvèdre) fruit is fermented in picking bins and hand plunged twice a day for 1-2 weeks encouraging a softness to occur to a varietal that can sometimes show some sharp and hard edges. All three wines are then put through vigorous bench trials and blends until Mr. Black and associates are satisfied with the final result. The wine is bottled after a coarse filtration and sulfur addition.
