Wild Duck Creek Heathcote Shiraz Springflat 2006
Region: Heathcote, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
Grape: Shiraz/Syrah
Colour: Red
Cellar 5-7 years (2009 - 2031)
Alc/Vol: 15%
Rating: RP95
Wild Duck Creek
The first Springflat came from our winery block vineyard. It is approximately 2.5 acres, sits on quartz buckshot clay soils and its production is around 2 tones per acre. Planted in 1988, it has now reached maturity and is capable of producing fruit of incredible depth of flavour. Its position protects it from wind, thus creating frost susceptibility. In years of frost, the leaf to fruit ratio is dramatically increased, thus producing wines of exceptional intensity, which led to the discovery of the Duck Muck.
Since then, several other vineyards on exceptional sites scattered across the Heathcote region have produced that has made it into the Springflat. By enlarge, these vineyards are 12 years + in age and are dry grown on the Cambrian volcanic soils of the southern part of the Mt Camel range. These vineyards are run to our discression, cropping less than 2 tons per acre, producing complex flavours only their particular sites can, which enables the Springflat Shiraz to broaden in complexity and reliability. Matured in 45% new French and American hogsheads for 15 to 18 months. Recommended to be consumed up to 12 years from release. No filtration. Approximately 1800 cases made annually. (Volumes range between 600 & 2000 cases).
Springflat Shiraz is fermented in small open fermenters, hand plunged every 4 – 6 hours, and pressed in ‘home-made’ hydraulic wooden basket presses. Often the presses are left on over-night so every last drop is extracted. The ‘Springflat’ usually undergoes 100% malolactic fermentation in barrel.
Springflat Shiraz made to be an intensely flavoured example of ‘Heathcote Shiraz’, showcasing our various vineyards ability to provide fruit of tremendous quality and depth of character. It is aged in French and American oak hogsheads for 18 – 20 months, of which 45% are new. Cellaring is recommended to be between 3 – 12 years for best drinking.
Andrew Caillard MW (In Langtons Magazine)
Wild Duck Creek’s single vineyard Spring Flat Shiraz, on the other hand, is a more serious wine and has been slowly building up interest from collectors for some years. Across vintages the wine is strongly flavoured and pleasingly balanced with chocolaty graphite aromas, plenty of fruit richness, volume of fruit, dense ripe tannins and well balanced new oak. Father and son winemaking team Dave and Liam Anderson take a fairly laissez faire approach to winemaking. The vineyard is dry-land farmed. The severe drought conditions over recent years will no doubt have played a part in the overall concentration and character of fruit. The berries are typically small and thick skinned resulting in pitch dark wines with plenty of weight and substance. Winemaking is “nothing fancy” but the wines are now matured in fairly heavy toasted American (50%) and French (50%) oak. Interestingly the oak does not dominate at all; an illustration of the overall power and balance of flavours in the wine. I particularly liked the 2004, 1998 and 1997 vintages. Spring Flat Shiraz trades fairly regularly at auction. Importantly this wine usually reaches auction within months of release illustrating a buoyant demand and growing market presence.
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate # 181 Feb 2009 / Jay Miller 95 points
The 2006 Springflat Shiraz is 100% varietal aged in 100% new French and American oak. The nose offers up an array of cedar, saddle leather, boysenberry, blackberry, and blueberry compote. This is followed by a sweetly fruited, opulent wine with layers of spicy flavors, earth notes, and spice box. Balanced and exceptionally long, this large-scaled effort will evolve for another
