Wine
St Hallett - the release of the vintage
The wines of 2019 represent the culmination of 75 vintages at St Hallett, with their release adding another special chapter to the pages of the Barossa’s history.
November is a special time in the Barossa winemaking calendar as it is when winemakers and anyone connected to the growing and production of wine gets to see and appreciate 18 months of toil, care and attention coming to life.
For St Hallett Chief Winemaker Helen McCarthy, the 2019 vintage release is extra special. Not just because the wines are exceptional, but because the vintage beautifully expresses the wonderful diversity of the Barossa.
“The 2019 vintage was special for Shiraz,” explains Helen. “The wines have power, great density, are tightly wound and will reward with careful cellaring for years to come.”
The St Hallett vineyard view
Building wines to age gracefully has always been woven into every wine within the St Hallett portfolio.
From the enduring Faith, a go-to wine for Shiraz lovers since 1994, to the supple mouthfeel and velvety tannins of the soil-driven Gamekeepers, and the full bodied Butchers Cart, these wines deliver exceptional cellaring potential, as well as everyday drinking value.
“St Hallett has a philosophy of giving maximum attention to our vineyards, minimal intervention in the winery and leveraging our understanding of the fruit we receive to make wines true to our style,” Helen says. “Our wines all have their own personality, but they are linked with a core of more red fruit and rustic tannin line.”
Premium and aged releases
St Hallett’s premium and flagship wines are sometimes released with more bottle age to allow full vineyard expression.
A classic example is Blackwell, named after Stuart Blackwell, winemaker through most of the 70s, 80s and 90s. This wine is a full bodied love letter to the sub-districts of Ebenezer, Greenock and Moppa Hills. Similarly, Higher Earth is a pure, luxurious expression of Eden Valley Shiraz, with a complexity that invites age to slowly unwind its spice tinged violet, blackcurrant and dark cherry layers.
Built as Blackwell’s big brother, and released only as a magnum to extend its age-ability and its enjoyment as a shared wine, the Mighty Ox delivers on its name as a bold and powerful Barossa Shiraz that pays homage to the region’s time honoured winemaking techniques.
History and innovation combine at St Hallett in the Barossa; The latest premium and aged releases
First made in 1990, Old Block comes from St Hallett’s best 50+ year old vine parcels across the Barossa and Eden. This aged release is elegant and balanced, full bodied and silky.
Planted is created in honour of the 100+ year old vine parcels scattered across the Barossa and Eden valleys. Created in only exceptional years, in tiny qualities and released as an aged wine, Planted is a single vineyard wine made as tribute to a particular grower. The 2015 is the current release, and celebrates the Noack family, sixth generation Barossa farmers, who have tended their Eden Valley vines for three decades.
St Hallett are true Barossa Masters, who since 1944, have been representing the spirt and soul of the region.
To discover more about St Hallett in the Barossa Valley check out Masters of Barossa Shiraz: St Hallet