Our 2007 Estate Shiraz was sourced from our vineyards in the Aconcagua Valley located just a few miles from our flagship Don Maximiano Estate. This region features a Mediterranean climate where the moderately warm summer days and cooling afternoon breezes result in high diurnal temperature variations (20°C/54°F) in the weeks prior to harvest. This encourages high concentrations of anthocyanins and creates wines with great colour intensity.
Vineyard soils are largely of alluvial origin from the Aconcagua River, which generally results in very good drainage conditions. This alluvial base is topped with varying depths of colluvial deposits with low to medium vigor potentials. This condition facilitates balanced vegetative growth in the vines and encourages good maturation in the grapes. Vineyard management includes drip irrigation and cane pruning. Vertical shoot positioning provides the vines with longer solar exposure throughout the season and encourages the development of high quality fruit. Intensive canopy management ensures an excellent leaf surface area to crop load ratio.

Although the 2006-2007 season began with normal temperatures, they dropped to slightly lower than normal between October and December, which did not affect vine growth. An unexpected 50 mm (2 in) October rainfall complicated flowering and resulted in lower yields, especially in Cabernet Sauvignon. The January through April maturation period was colder than in a normal year, which slowed the ripening. The combination of low temperatures, slow ripening, and low yields helped the grapes achieve good character, high quality tannins, and excellent acidity.

The grapes were hand-picked during the month of April and transported to the winery in bins, where they were gently crushed into stainless steel tanks. All of the grapes were fermented immediately in stainless steel tanks. Alcoholic fermentation took place at 26-30°C (79-86°F) with 2-3 pumpovers per day. Because the grapes for this wine come from different vineyards, post-fermentation maceration times depended upon the development of the individual lots. Most lots underwent 10-15 days of extended skin contact, although a few were left as long as 20-30 days. Half of the wine was aged in French and American oak barrels for approximately 6 months, which helped round out the wine and contributed to a sweet mouthfeel. After the final blend was made, the wine was cold settled and lightly filtered before bottling.

Our Shiraz Estate 2007 has a lively red violet colour. On the nose it displays fresh raspberry and sweet spice aromas such as cinnamon and clover, integrated with soft roasted notes and a slight meaty touch characteristic of this variety. This is a medium-bodied wine with a firm structure displaying a broad and lively entry with a pleasant and fresh sensation on the palate. The flavours range from cocoa powder sensations to blackberry fruit which cling to the palate through the pleasant finish.