The Two Hands Wines Range
THIS WINE HAS SOLD OUT.
Tasting Notes
Sourced from a vineyard located in the south west of Padthaway. What's interesting about this vineyard is that there are two distinctly different soil types, on one hand you have deep black sand on the other red clay over limestone (the same as what you find in Coonawarra). Each producing a different style of Shiraz which blend harmoniously together.
This is an excellent example of what this region is about and confirms our faith in Padthaway as a premium Australian Shiraz producing region. Almost black at the core with a purple rim. A little shy to begin but once opened up shows Asian spice and scented dark black fruits. A powerful full bodied palate with fine grained mouth coating tannins; concentrated upfront fruit that continues right across the palate. Although a big wine it shows focus; the fruit concentration carries the alcohol to offer a finely balanced wine of power and intensity. Matured for 16 months in predominantly French oak, 20% of which was new.
This is an excellent example of what this region is about and confirms our faith in Padthaway as a premium Australian Shiraz producing region. Almost black at the core with a purple rim. A little shy to begin but once opened up shows Asian spice and scented dark black fruits. A powerful full bodied palate with fine grained mouth coating tannins; concentrated upfront fruit that continues right across the palate. Although a big wine it shows focus; the fruit concentration carries the alcohol to offer a finely balanced wine of power and intensity. Matured for 16 months in predominantly French oak, 20% of which was new.
Downloadable Tasting Notes (2004 Sophie's Garden Tasting Notes)
Winemaking
This single vineyard wine comes from the most southern vineyard in Padthaway. The fruit from the 2004 vintage came from a different section of the vineyard to that used for the 2003 wine. The vineyard producing the 2004 fruit is more red, red/brown loam over limestone, typical to many areas in the SE of South Australia. The fruit was picked on the 21st April, brought up to the Barossa and then crushed to both a large and a small open top fermenter. The ferment temperature peaked at 28 degrees celsius, with the overall rate of fermentation being even and not erratic.
After 15 days both fermenters were pressed to separate tanks, with each of the respective free run and pressing pairs combined. After 36 hours the wine was racked to oak, 25% new French with the balance predominantly older French with a small amount of American. Lke the majority of the Two Hands' wines, malolactic fermentation occurred in barrel, was racked and acid adjusted. The two batches were kept completely separate all the way to blending where it was then racked once more prior to being bottled in August 2005.
After 15 days both fermenters were pressed to separate tanks, with each of the respective free run and pressing pairs combined. After 36 hours the wine was racked to oak, 25% new French with the balance predominantly older French with a small amount of American. Lke the majority of the Two Hands' wines, malolactic fermentation occurred in barrel, was racked and acid adjusted. The two batches were kept completely separate all the way to blending where it was then racked once more prior to being bottled in August 2005.
Vintage Comments
After a long wet winter that carried well into August, the weather cleared up and provided near ideal conditions for flowering and set, to the extent that many Shiraz vineyards required quite severe crop thinning, ours included.
January temperatures were well below average, but the weather remained fine. The extreme heat that the northern vineyard areas of the state, McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley, were subjected to translated to even warm temperatures in the South East. An Indian summer was seen to a certain extent, resulting in minimal disease problems and fine weather up to and after harvest. The fine weather coupled with balanced vines and careful canopy management resulted in berries full of dense dark fruit and spice characters.
January temperatures were well below average, but the weather remained fine. The extreme heat that the northern vineyard areas of the state, McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley, were subjected to translated to even warm temperatures in the South East. An Indian summer was seen to a certain extent, resulting in minimal disease problems and fine weather up to and after harvest. The fine weather coupled with balanced vines and careful canopy management resulted in berries full of dense dark fruit and spice characters.
Reviews for this Vintage.
