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What a difference a year makes. There was no Syrah/Shiraz produced here in 2020—either Crudo or at this level. Simply, Luke and Rosalind didn’t feel their source produced the standard required for their label: “It just wasn’t going to hit the level we wanted so we decided not to push it”. No such issue in 2021. As per the Chardonnay, this comes from the high-grown Tibooburra vineyard, where the quality of the clonal material supplies Lambert with a deeper, darker and more structured Syrah than we typically see from the Yarra. This is what drew Lambert to the site and helped make this Syrah a touchstone example of cool-climate Australian Shiraz.
The whole-bunch component for this wine is always a bit of a moving target—2021 clocks in at 60% with some crushed bunches too. There was no carbonic maceration at all—a technique Lambert has been phasing out for several years now, preferring instead the life cycle development that goes with less carbonic influence. Instead, more crushed berries, shorter macerations and more punch-downs give the Syrah its drive and structure, allowing the wine to better hold its fruit and shape. This release was fermented wild and aged in Lambert’s decade-old, 5,000 litre foudre.
It’s a Syrah of drive and power, possessing the signature Lambert lift, balance and perfume. Brambly blue and red fruits sit cheek-by-jowl with cured meat savoury notes and graphite-like tannins and minerality. The silky and velvety mouthfeel, energy and complexity is to die for.