Head The Blonde Shiraz
Barossa Valley
Price Range at Release: $50-$99
Vintage: 2021
Alc %: 14.2
$ Rel: 55
Smooth and polished, this sumptuously flavoured, elegant and evenly ripened shiraz unfolds enticing aromas of dark plums, cassis, blackberries and redcurrants backed by nuances of cedary oak, cracked pepper and licorice. Underpinned by fine, slatey tannins, its almost sour-edged palate of black and red fruits and smoky oak finishes with a pleasing acidity and lingering mineral and savoury aspects.
Last Date Tasted: 24/12/2023
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Cellar
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Drink Now
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Maybe Too Old
Winery
Head
Alex Head has long targeted becoming a serious maker of single-site Barossa wines from Rhône Valley varieties, with access to a number of significant old vine sites in Eden Valley and on the Barossa floor. Recent seasons have seen some spectacular improvement. I enjoy the fact that Head is able to reflect both the regional origins and Rhône-inspired stylistic cues in a fashion that is entirely effortless and very persuasive. The Blonde Shiraz takes its name from the limestone substratum beneath a 1.5 hectare site near Stonewell and represents outstanding value for money. The contrasting wine to this, The Brunette Shiraz, viz. Côte-Rôtie, is sourced from the darker ironstone and red-brown clays of a site at Moppa. Head fashions each into wines of remarkable elegance and subtlety, with The Blonde revealing a spectrum that lies within a red fruit/quince/apricot range, while The Brunette tends to sport more of a darker profile: cassis, mulberry and blood plum. The slightly more uptown The Redhead comes from a slope just 100 metres inside the Eden Valley region, with a soil profile akin to that of Moppa and Ebenezer. As a group, the wines are pure joy. They point strongly towards a sophisticated, international expression of shiraz that shows that despite concerns over climate, there is a valid and very bright future for Barossa shiraz.
Chief Executive(s):
Alex Head
Winemaker:
Alex Head
Address:
Lot 1 Stonewell Road , Stonewell , South Australia 5352 Australia
Principal Wine Region:
Barossa Valley
Website:
Email:
