Vintage 2013: We had good winter rains then warm summer conditions which brought about an early harvest. We had a few hot-cool-hot-cool periods which made it a little trickier to decide when to pick, but Joch reckons he got it right in the end.

Winemaking: The game plan with Puritan is to make a young and vibrant early drinking red wine. Our template for Puritan is the 'vino Joven' style Spanish wines (made usually with Tempranillo) which are unoaked and drunk in their infancy. Standard winemaking operating procedures were followed when making Puritan at the start; we pick and ferment the grapes, then allow the wine to go through its secondary (malolactic) fermentation. Then we divert from normal SOP’s, as we bottle the Puritan immediately, without the addition of any sulphur dioxide (preservative), or putting the wine into oak barrels. ‘Puritan’ Shiraz more often than not makes it into bottle before our aromatic whites.

Technical Details:
Vineyards: Denton's, Edgehill and Chanticleer
Picking Date: 21st, 25th, 28th February and 1st, 8th and 9th March 2013
pH Level: 3.68
Alc/Vol: 14.5
Bottling Date: 23rd May 2013


“ Dark in colour but full of light. Plum and blackberry jam, game, black pepper, thyme. Full bodied, fleshy grainy tannins, balanced acidity – just enough there – but feels driven and shaped by grainy tannin and pulsating black fruit. Bursts through the finish, and for a big and boldly flavoured wine, it’s alarmingly easy to drink. Terrific. Joyous bouncy Shiraz.”Campbell Mattinson winefront.com.au, November 2013