Fowles Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz 2010 and 2012 compared.
2010 gives more lean structure and finishes spicy(even more black pepper, beef jerky) with 14% ABV. With even more balance and length to the vibrant mix of red fruits, spice and fine, savoury tannins of the medium-bodied palate, 2010 is never the typical big, jammy Barossa fruit bomb, but rather an elegant, cool-climate Shiraz from Australia's lesser-known Strathbogie Ranges appellation. This elegant and seductive 2010 Shiraz describes well as an Aussie version of Cote-Rotie!
2010 is not as aromatic as 2012 by now and provides fine-grained tannins with a crisp, long and smoky finish. Body is lean, intense, structured, offering dark fruit which changes to a lively and light-hearted red berry fruit on the finish.
The Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz was fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve primary fruit flavours and matured for 12 months using a combination of new and old English and French oak. One-quarter of the wine aged in 140-year-old, 5,000-liter English oak casks, and two 6,000 litre new French oak casks. One quarter matured in one, two and three-year-old French oak puncheons. The balance maintained as a fresh, fruity parcel in stainless steel.
This winery area is surely not a tourist attraction, the production area is windy, open and situates above 600m. Rainfall is significantly low(320mm!). It takes quite an excursion to this dry land of Central Victoria(150km northeast of Melbourne, so the wine is more Goldburn in character rather than Yarra).
Awarded JK95, this winery also gets a 5-star rating from James Halliday's Wine Companion. The stylistics is closer to Northern Rhone than that of Australians. The wine-making style is very Northern Rhone as well, for example co-fermentation of red Shiraz grape with white Viognier) and sugar fermented out(!). One quarter of the wine was matured in 140-year-old, 5,000 liter English oak casks, and two 6,000 liter new French oak casks. One quarter was matured in one, two and three-year-old French oak puncheons. The balance was maintained as a fresh, fruity parcel in stainless steel. Hence, fruit is not suppressed, nose not masked and remains slightly smokely and beef-jerky throughout our tasting.
An excellent food wine(firm mid-palate) best with the wild game(though the dryer, peppery style of Roast Goose is very suitable as well), this wine reflects the balance of warm and cool climate.
