Blackbilly Sparkling Shiraz

Blackbilly McLaren Vale Sparkling Shiraz NV

Established in 1981, Haselgrove Vignerons draws upon the character and experience of three generations of winemakers to craft these fine wines. Today Nick and James are focused on making fine wines that are flavoursome and full of character, but are of good value. Our wines are original and are the only wines being made by the Haselgrove family.

Nick Haselgrove, our Winemaker utilises premium grapes primarily from the famous McLaren Vale wine region but is currently investigating the opportunities that other regions offer.

Blackbilly is the current range of Shiraz wines that capture the essence of McLaren Vale and Australian wines. The name is drawn from the famous grass tree or Yacca bush which is ubiquitous to the Australian bushland. Bushfires regularly change the Australian landscape, burning the Yacca into a blackened form which then re-grows and produces the unique 'spear' shaped flower. A uniquely Australian plant for a uniquely Australian wine!

SB1 McLaren Vale Sparkling Shiraz

Mature brick red with modest purple tints. Ripe, rich, fruitcake type aromas with aged mocha and chocolate complexity. Good mousse and depth of flavour on the palate with well balanced sweetness and acidity. Hints of earthy notes and a light porty note add interest. Enjoy as an aperitif or try with Peking duck and roast turkey.

Viticulture
McLaren Vale's climate is Mediterranean with the nearby St Vincent's gulf providing a moderating, maritime effect to the vineyards. Combined with warm summers and mild winters the Shiraz vines are able to ripen their grapes fully with proud and distinctive varietal characters. The dominant soil type used to grow these grapes is sandy with an underlying clay base. Limited irrigation water is used to assist the vine in being healthy which assists premium grape production.

Winemaking
The grapes once harvested are processed using a mixture of traditional and modern winemaking methods. Open fermenters, warm fermentation and the completion of fermentation is barrel are important for the style.

Construction of the base wine uses McLaren Vale fruit blended with some older wine parcels to induce complexity. The wine is then re-fermented and matured to again enhance complexity. Once this process has added the required character, the wine is disgorged, has winemaking tricks applied then rebottled for consumption.

Sweetness is very much a part of this unique Ozzie wine style - this wine is about 25g/L which is important as it balances tannin and acidity that is accentuated by the mousse, or gas in the wine. As a point of difference, a small quantity of vintage port is used to enhance the wines character and appeal. It is important to serve this wine chilled and open with care!

4 Stars (Winestate)

portfolio: O2