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 temperance 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 After one of the worst droughts in history the soil moisture profile and dams were lower than at the start of winter. Spring was frosty and windy but not overly wet. The frosts in October were bad news for many, although the rains were at least strategic, which resulted in better fruit set than last year. The hot, dry and windy weather during summer stressed the vines severely, reducing the berry size and crop. A serious rain event occurred in late February causing some fruit split. This year must surely go down on record as being one of our hottest, driest and windiest summers, leading to a smaller vintage of potentially very good quality.