Glaetzer Wallace Shiraz Grenache 2007

The Glaetzer Family
The Glaetzer Family has been a part of the Barossa Valley and its viticulture history since 1888. After thirty years of winemaking, Colin Glaetzer established the family winery to create wines he's passionate about - limited quantities of benchmark Barossa Valley reds. Today, Ben Glaetzer carries on this winemaking tradition at Glaetzer Wines.

Name & Label
Wallace is an ancestral name of Colin's wife Judith, whose family hail from the old market town of Cupar in Fife, Scotland. Judith Celtic ancestory is reflected in the three elements of the Wallace symbol - the Celtic cross, thistle and the Celtic knot pattern.

The Wine
Glaetzer Wallace is a wine greater than the sum of its parts - a fusion of Shiraz and Grenache, which is a traditional blend in the Barossa Valley. Ripe, peppery old-vine Shiraz dominates and adds weight, texture and fleshy richness to the palate. The Grenache adds sweet cherry, toffee and earthy characters. Parcels of premium fruit are picked at full ripeness for vibrant colour, with an abundance of juicy, berry flavours and spice. The wine shows the elegance and finesse which underpins the Glaetzer style.
Our Grenache clone is light in colour, almost Rose like, yet provides a huge level of tannin extraction and therefore lends itself to blend with Shiraz. The Grenache provides mid-palate richness and a strawberry/cherry like characteristic on the palate and the Shiraz provides tightness and focus. In 2007 Grenache proved to be a stand-out consistent variety and has allowed us to maintain the continuity of the Wallace style.

Variety: 75% Shiraz, 25% Grenache
Region: All fruit for Glaetzer wines is taken from the small sub-region of the northern Barossa Valley, called Ebenezer. The viticulture used is standard single wire, with permanent rod and spur. Many of the very old vines (80-120 years old) have now been trained onto a trellis for ease of pruning, harvesting and disease and frost control.
Age of vines: 60-80 years old
Vineyard yield: 1.5 tons per acre (3.6 tonnes per hectare)
Vinification: With our experience of old Barossa Valley Grenache we know that it does not handle oak well. For this reason we ferment and mature the Grenache component in stainless steel to keep the freshness and animation of the fruit. This blends well with the earthy Barossa Valley Shiraz characters. As with all Glatzer wines, the key is balanced extraction, not maximum extraction.
Oak: 80% French, 20% American
Age of barrels: 2-3years old
Time in barrel: 12 months
Alcohol: 14.5%
pH: 3.4%
Total Acidity: 6.7g/l
Residual Sugar: 0.9g/l

2007 Vintage Report - Ebenezer, Barossa Valley
The 2007 vintage in the Barossa was a difficult year with both drought and frost resulting in below average yields - only 1/2 Ton - 1 Ton per acre across our range. The greatest challenge at Glaetzer has been to harness the intensity and concentration of fruit to keep the trademark elegance and balance across our portfolio of wines.
Three years of low rainfall and the resultant dry sub-soil, meant less radiant head around the vines and therefore greater risk of frost. The frost struck at bud burst and we lost 30% of this original crop. Due to this early damage secondary bud burst was delayed and ripening was later than usual by about 3 weeks. The weather remained mild throughout the growing season but our crop was the smallest in many years.