The Turkey Flat Vineyard boasts some of the oldest Shiraz vines in the world. Planted in 1847, these hard-working gnarled old vines are still producing fantastic grapes. They are dry grown with their roots extending metres into the soil in search of moisture. The fact that these vines still exist is largely due to a far-sighted quarantine scheme, in which South Australia was spared the phylloxera outbreak which devastated the vineyards of Europe, America and subsequently parts of Australia in the late 1800’s. The 2011 growing season was atypical for the ordinarily sun-drenched Barossa Valley. A cool and wet summer was instrumental in the approach to the winemaking, leading to a Turkey Flat Shiraz unusually dominated by parcels from our more exposed sites. These sites, in particular our Stonewell vineyard, have shallow soils and vines with low vigour, exposing low-yielding fruit. These factors allowed full ripening to occur in 2011. The resultant wine is typical to the Turkey Flat style. It has a deep colour with iodine hues, a bright nose of red fruits balanced by a subtle pepper influence. The palate is supported by long tannins and carefully chosen French oak lifts the fruit, lengthens the palate and adds longevity to the wine.