The Eleventh Hour 2019
Barossa Valley, Massena, 750 ml
| Grape variety: | Shiraz |
| Producer: | Massena / Jaysen Collins |
| Origin: | Australia / South Australia / Barossa Valley |
| Other vintages: |
Description
A real find from downunder. It's hard to believe, but the vines for this wine were almost uprooted for this wine. The very old plot only produced low yields, and no one was willing to pay for the exceptional grapes - until Jaysen Collins became aware of this treasure. Thanks to his courageous intervention the vineyard was saved - at the very last minute, or, as they say in English, "at the eleventh hour". Otherwise, this splendid wine would not exist today. The pure Shiraz is produced as naturally as possible, without any intervention and with wild yeasts. It smells of plum, liquorice and pepper. Compared to other Barossa wines, it is rather delicate in style, but without sacrificing power and fruit.
Attributes
| Origin: | Australia / South Australia / Barossa Valley |
| Grape variety: | Shiraz |
| Ripening potential: | 3 to 10 years after harvest |
| Drinking temperature: | 16 to 18 °C |
| Food Pairing: | Spiced grillades, Wild specialities, Spaghetti alla bolognese |
| Vinification: | fully destemmed, use of traditional basket press, fermentation in cement tank |
| Maturation: | in partly new and used barriques/ Pièces |
| Bottling: | no filtration |
| Maturation duration: | 13 months |
| Volume: | 14.5 % |
| Note: | Contains sulphites |
Massena / Jaysen Collins
Dan Standish and Jaysen Collins were college friends, and in the late 1990s they decided to put their talents together to produce wine. Recently, Jaysen Collins has taken charge of the "Massena" project on his own.The grapes are purchased from growers in Greenock, Kalimna and Koonunga Hill in the northwest Barossa Valley.
They are always very old plots and the yields are naturally tiny, but the grapes have an unequalled concentration and complexity. Despite the scorching dry summers, no irrigation is used (a method known as 'dry farming'). The Midnight Run, their first wine, was initially conceived as a wine for family and friends. Its name was inspired by their journeys between Barossa Valley and Clare Valley--during harvest they had to move from one to the other at night and it was then that they had the idea of working together. That blend was based on Grenache from vines over 120 years old. The remainder was Shiraz, Cinsault and Mataro (Mourvedre) in the style of the great Chateauneuf-du-Pape. .
Shiraz
A hint of pepper
The legend stubbornly persists that the Syrah variety came from the Persian city of Shiraz. Yet, researchers have shown that it is a natural crossing of two old French varieties: the red Dureza from the Rhône Valley and the white Mondeuse blanche from Savoy. Wines from Syrah are gentle and concentrated. They smell of dark berries, violets and liquorice, and amaze with a piquant touch of white pepper. As varietal wines, they are found on the northern Rhone, as in the Hermitage or Côte Rôtie appellations, as well as in Swiss Valais. In the southern Rhône Valley, Syrah is often wedded with Grenache and Mourvèdre. In 1832, a Frenchman brought the variety to Australia, where it became the emblem of the national wine industry. There, the weightiest versions develop with typical notes of tar and chocolate.
Barossa Valley
Barossa Valley: well-proportioned abundance
The Barossa Valley is the epitome of Australian red wines with lavish fruit richness and focused strength. But the valley is not just a preferred terroir for Shiraz, Grenache, Cabernet, and co. – there are also huge winery facilities where grapes are processed from other cultivation areas in South Australia. Thus, the valley has become a center of Australian winemaking, bringing concentrated yet balanced crops into bottles.
South Australia
South Australia: Shiraz as a driving force
South Australia, with the Barossa Valley as the most well-known cultivation area and the city of Adelaide as a wine metropolis, is without a doubt the centre of the Australian wine economy. The wines produced here have brought the Shiraz from “down under” worldwide recognition. They are fully concentrated wines with dark-berried cassis fruit and masterfully supportive oak wood spices. But Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Riesling play more than just a supporting role.
Australia
Australia – A rapid rise to the international elite.
Australia, separated from the other continents by oceans for roughly 50 million years, has almost two hundred years of viticulture history. For a long time, Australians pressed their wines for their own use, with simple, undemanding vines. But later the country began to specialize in classic, European varieties. And with great success –Australian wines today enjoy great prestige and are consumed worldwide..
