2014 Chris Ringland Randall’s Hill Shiraz

My 1.4ha dry grown Shiraz vineyard planted in 1910 had 5 rows of Riesling on the Southern side that I decided to rip out in 1999. I replaced this with five rows of Shiraz grafted onto rootstock, next to the gnarled old vines that produce my Chris Ringland Shiraz. Like my old vines, the new plantings are not irrigated, so took 10 years to bear fruit.

Given my Chris Ringland Shiraz will always be blended from the old vine sections of my vineyard, Randall’s Hill comprises my young vine component, along with any old vine barrels that do not fit my Chris Ringland Barossa Ranges style.

This said, I also reserve the right to release only a Randall’s Hill, should the wine reflect a more fruit forward approach, rather than the deeper style of the Barossa Ranges. The 2014 vintage is such a vintage, with tiny yield and cooler vintage conditions. To date this was the smallest production from my vineyard.

Historically, there have been four prior releases of Randall’s Hill.

In 1995, the first vintage I produced from my vineyard, I made only four barrels of wine. As I still had to understand the capabilities of the site, I found I made two quite different wines, from the south and north sectors of my vineyard. A number of years later I bottled these two different wines, becoming my 1995 Three Rivers Shiraz and the inaugural release of Randall’s Hill.

In 1997 I decided that the seasonal conditions were not conducive to producing the Three Rivers style, opting instead to repeat the approach taken with the first Randall’s Hill wine in 1995. The wine was matured for a relatively short 32 months in new Radoux hogsheads.

The 2010 and 2013 were classic for both the Randall’s Hill and Barossa Ranges. While drinking wonderfully now, they will both reward further time in the cellar.