Background The shiraz grenache viognier is a tribute to Henry Evans who planted the first vineyard of seven acres at Keyneton in 1853. He quickly developed a reputation for producing the best wines in the southern colony. Following the death of Henry in 1868 his widow Sarah exercised her personal convictions by closing the winery and uprooting all the wine grapes. This blend highlights the historical introduction of southern French and Spanish varieties to South Australia in those early pioneering days and reflects the history, religion and culture of the Barossa. Vintage Description The year 2002 goes down as being the coolest, windiest ‘non-summer’ on record, following on from our hottest summer on record in 2001. It was preceded by a wet winter and a spring that was cold, wet and windy–like winter really. The drizzly cold weather affected the flowering and caused poor fruit set, commonly known as ‘hen and chicken’, leading to very little fruit. In particular riesling and shiraz, Eden Valley signature varieties, were the worst affected with crop reductions leaving us with less than 20% in some varieties. In addition the season was 2-3 weeks late due to the unseasonable cold weather. With the smaller crop level, the balance of sugar, flavour and natural acidity in the fruit were excellent. Despite the pitiful crop 2002 was one of our most exceptional vintages ever, helped by the warm dry Indian summer autumn period, providing sensational colours, flavours and ageing potential.

93++ (2001 Vintage) Phillip White