95 Pts James Halliday - Australian Wine Companion

"A voluminous bouquet speaks both for the 7% viognier co-fermented, and the 18 months in 100% new French oak, characters faithfully reflected by the palate." 95 Points - James Halliday - Australian Wine Companion

"Still youthful and fresh, the 2005 Petaluma Shiraz is all from the B&V Vineyard that lies on the eastern edge of the Adelaide Hills region. Aged for 18 months in new French oak, the wine delivers an outstanding bouquet of cassis and sweet blackberry fruits that are offset by smoky lead pencil, touches of flowers, underbrush, and spice box nuances on the nose. Needing an hour of air to really shine, this continues to flesh out over the evening and possesses a pure, clean profile, medium to full body, notable balance, and a long, focused finish. Seemingly at the early stages of maturity, this should continue to evolve and age gracefully for up to a decade." 92 points - Jeb Dunnuck - Rhone Report

"Polished, with a black pepper and coffee tinge to the ripe, dark plum and currant flavors, lingering on the lively, focused finish. Drink now through 2015. 1,500 cases made. –HS" 91 Points - Wine Spectator

"From an area better known for its cool-climate white wines, this is a full-bodied, voluptuous Shiraz that shows ample complexity and length. Cola and blackberry notes lead the way, amplified by peppery spice. Soft tannins and harmonious spice and berry notes linger on the finish. Drink now–2015, possibly longer." 91 Points - Wine Enthusiast

WINE:
"The 2005 Petaluma Shiraz is a dark, brooding, vibrant wine. The aroma is spicy with loads of dark, ripe fruit. Blackberry and dark cherry aromas and flavours are complemented by the spice and a hint of anise. The trace of apricots from the Viognier perfectly balances with these dark fruits. The palate is very full flavoured and is enhanced by lovely cinnamon oak. Sweet fruit on the mid palate is supported by wonderful tannins, and the finish is very long and savoury. The 2005 Petaluma Shiraz from the B&V Vineyard is a sumptuous red wine that will reward many years careful cellaring." -Winery

VINIFICATION:
"The Shiraz was de-stemmed, crushed and chilled to fermenter and allowed to cold soak. A small proportion of Viognier (7%) was also crushed into fermenter. Petaluma uses a combination of Potter fermenters and traditional open fermenters for the B&V Shiraz. Fermentation on skins lasted 25 days. At sugar dryness, the wine was drained, the skins pressed and the combined wine gravity fed to older French oak barriques. After one month in these older barriques, the wine was racked to new French oak from the forests of Never and Alliers. Malo-lactic fermentation (MLF) proceeded in the barrels."

"At the completion of MLF, the wine was racked from barrel, given a small sulphur addition and returned to barrel. This clarifying racking occurred three times during the wines life in oak. The final racking, after 18 months in oak was followed by a light egg white fining. This gentle, time honoured procedure ensured bright, clarified wine which was then bottled without filtration in March 2007." -Winery

VINEYARDS:
"The mature Shiraz and Viognier vines of the B&V Vineyard achieve a natural balance of moderate growth and low crop on its micaceous schist derived soils. The B&V vineyard is situated on the western escarpment of Mount Barker on the eastern edge of the Adelaide Hills. The climate and soils of the special B&V Vineyard terroir closely resemble those of Cote Rotie in the northern Rhone Valley in France where Shiraz and Viognier are native varieties. The hot days influenced by the Murray River plains to the east and the cold night air drainage from the central Adelaide Hills to the west, create a large diurnal temperature differential through the growing season with exactly suits Shiraz grown for optimum quality." -Winery