Shiraz

Beef, Lamb, Game (deer, venison), Poultry

Groote Post has always been best known for its Sauvignon Blanc but in recent years its other wines notably Chardonnay Shiraz and Pinot Noir have gained greater recognition from wine competitions and its widespread client base alike. Although Groote Post wines have received a steady stream of accolades and awards since its maiden 1999 vintage co-owner Nick Pentz and winemaker Lukas Wentzel believe that the best has yet to come. While acknowledging that winemaking and particularly grape growing are a perpetual work in progress they are confident that they now have the building blocks in place for a more mature phase in its life cycle. This was amply illustrated during the long and challenging 2004 harvest that produced grapes with the desired physiological factors and phenolic ripeness resulting in complex wines showing intense fruit flavours. The Sauvignon Blancs are now showing consistency with the sought-after fruit to acid balance.

The wine matured for 14 months in 300L oak barrels of which 25% were new oak and 75% older barrels. 10% American oak and 90% French.

Fermentation is split between using open top tanks for punching down the skin cap and closed stainless steel tanks for pumping the juice over the skins. The fermenting grapes underwent maceration for 2 weeks. The goal was to achieve a complex and versatile Shiraz.