Wines of the Barossa: Head Wines

The first producer James decided to visit after judging at the Barossa Wine Show was Head Wines in the Barossa Valley, who actually won the Chairman’s Selection for their Shiraz "Brunette". Balanced and drinkable Shiraz were perhaps what stood out more than anything for James (stay tuned for a big report featuring his favourites), and so he had to check them out. 

They were actually right next to where we were staying, so we just walked over to meet owner Alex Head who had three wines including the famous Shiraz ready for James to taste. Alex's philosophy at Head Wines is all about letting the grape and terroir speak for itself. This means picking the grape early, letting the fermentation do the work and ultimately not over-exctracting. He points out that it's something especially important in the Barossa where with its hot climate and small window for picking, it can be all too easy to end up with high alcohol, jammy wines.

The first wine was a syrah, "The Contrarian", from the subregion of Moculta in Eden Valley (itself a subregion of the Barossa). The Eden is always little cooler than the rest of the Barossa, so the grapes ripen a lot later. There's not a lot of rainfall either, and this wine in particular comes from a very clayey vineyard. James describes it as having a very minty character.

The second is a shiraz, "The Blonde", (not the winning wine) from a small area in the Barossa Valley called "Stonewell". By contrast to the first, it's influenced by a relatively hot microclimate, but James doesn't find it too heavy or jammy. It's this sort of wine, he continues, that's leading a new wave of balanced wine in Australia.

Finally James and Alex end with the prized shiraz, "The Brunette". As Alex explains, it's a more elevated site than others in the Barossa, and this allows it maintain its freshness and structure. It's not that aromatic but it entirely makes up for it on the palate.

The official notes and scores for all the shiraz will be published next week in a Shiraz report.

-JMS