Head The Blonde Shiraz 2021

Description

Winemaker Alex Head’s dream to make elegant Barossa wines began in 1999 while travelling through some of Europe’s greatest wine growing regions, along with his longheld fascination with the synergy of good wine, fine food and happy company at the table. Head Wines is all that and more.

Alex follows a traditional négociant model, an old practice where the winemaker does not grow their own grapes, instead working with a number of small growers. Around three-quarters of the grapes that end up in Head Wines’ bottles are sourced from a carefully chosen selection of these elevated Eden Valley sites. All of these vineyards are farmed sustainably using organic principles where possible; yields are controlled and grapes are hand-picked.

Not being tied to his own vineyards has allowed Alex to spend years understanding the strengths and weaknesses of a number of sites in pursuit of his individual style. Alex creates great Barossan wines that are memorably balanced whilst pursuing styles that are intentional and truly of place. This is sublime winemaking.

“Some say I have a contrary approach. But my motivation is simple. Old World wines captivate me and no place lets me express that better than the Barossa.” Alex Head

About this wine and the vintage from the winemaker: “2021 had its third coolest and driest ripening period in 25 years. Combined with the cool, night time temperatures, Barossa was blessed also with a return to above average yields — happy growers, happy life.”

Head Wines now works with a diverse range of up to 20 different Shiraz vineyards in the Barossa and Eden Valleys. To be considered part of ‘The Blonde’ a vineyard must perform amongst the few top vineyards each year and have well defined perfumes, textures and supple tannins.
“For 2021, ‘The Blonde’ came from a vineyard planted in the ‘Barossa Ranges’ of the Eden Valley GI. The Shiraz (at 450m elevation) was planted in 1962 on an eastwest downwards slope protected by the afternoon sun. The soils are granitic and sandy over limestone and clay. A small addition (2%) of co-fermented Viognier (planted nearby) filled out the palate and completed the wines delicate tannin profile. It is worth noting that I am trying to pursue finesse and elegance with this wine, always thinking about how to make the wine better, not bigger. The only additions made to this wine were 15% new oak and I hope you feel the same uninterrupted flow, harmony and pleasantness that I feel it should convey. “ Alex Head

Top 50 Australian Wineries for 2023 by The Real Review.

96 points, Ned Goodwin for JamesSuckling “The suite of wine from Alex Head gets better each year. While this is full-bodied in terms of extract and alcohol, it is vibrant, subtly reductive, detailed and immaculately poised, making for effortless drinking. Limestone soils impart a je ne saisquoi tension to a whirl of white pepper, clove, boysenberry, deli meats and lilac. Yet what makes this so impressive is the combination of tannin, juicy freshness and confident oak handling, all boding well for cellaring.”

95 points, Andrew Caillard MW “Medium-deep crimson. Intense & complex dark cheery, dark chocolate, roast chestnut aromas with hints of apricots.. A very attractive Barossa Shiraz showing lovely definition, freshness and complexity. Now-2034 .”

94 points, Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion “.. Deep magenta, plush and perfumed with ripe plum, black cherry and blackberry fruits, dark spice, orange blossom, licorice, dark chocolate, sage and earth. Voluminous with a sense of latent power, tightly packed granitic tannin and a long, darkly spiced finish.”

95 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front “Blue and black fruits, white flowers, milk chocolate and praline, aromatic spices. It’s supple, mouth-filling and plush, ginger biscuits, a little grilled meat, plenty of crushed stone tannin, apricot kernel, and a dense and ripe tannin finish of excellent length, some classic Eden sage perfume lingers. An excellent release.”

RRP $64  Our Special Intro Price $46.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.