Log in for prices and ordering
The first release of the Elenay Shiraz in 2011 was the result of what Andrew Thomas calls a beautiful accident. A few barrels initially destined for the premium Kiss Shiraz didn’t quite fit the style and were blended with a few barrels of Sweetwater Shiraz to form Elenay. Such was the enthusiasm for the wine that Thomas decided to continue with the label. The vineyard composition changes depending on the vintage, but the style remains the same, with seductive fruit and premium French oak playing an important role.
The 2023 blend is a selection of newer barrels from the Kiss (45%), Sweetwater Ridge (36%) and Dam Block (19%) parcels. Whilst Kiss and Sweetwater have been included in every Elenay blend since the inaugural 2011 vintage, this is the first time since 2018 that Dam Block has made the grade. The latter lies just across the dam from Thomas’s flagship old-vine Kiss Shiraz. It shares the dark blue fruit, distinctive savoury texture and al dente tannins of Kiss, but with a slightly more extroverted personality.
Thomas has been working with fruit from Sweetwater Ridge in Belford since 2017. These mature vines (planted in 1998) are deep-rooted in Belford’s signature red/brown loam over limestone soils and face east, providing some protection from the hot afternoon sun and giving vibrant, perfumed lift to the wine. The Kiss vines at Pokolbin Estate are planted just across the road from one of the Hunter’s most famous vineyards, Graveyard, and these old vines (planted in 1969) yield meagre crops of exceptional fruit. Before blending, the components aged in a mix of newer French hogsheads for 14 months of maturation, with a further 11 months resting in bottle before release.