The wild pixie Shiraz 2019  McLaren Vale, Shiraz (94%) Roussanne (6%)  The Name  In 2006, Chester added a small parcel of  Roussanne to The Stump Jump White. A  wine journalist described him as a ‘wild  pixie’ for concocting such a crazy blend.  Taking that as a compliment, Chester went  on to make an even more audacious blend  with Roussanne, this time combining it with  Shiraz.  The Vintage  Winter was quite dry, with sporadic light  showers that didn’t penetrate the soil very  deeply. This impacted budburst but was  managed with some irrigation. During  spring there was quite a strong wind event  around the time of flowering, which upset  some of the growth, especially in Shiraz.  Summer was hot, with an extreme heat  wave and a record high temperature of  46.6C, which burnt some varieties like Petit  Verdot. Most other varies managed to escape  unscathed, which was surprising. Yields  were down on most varieties. The quality,  however, was excellent, exhibiting very  varietal characteristics. Ferments had to be  taken off a little earlier with higher sugar  levels because of these strong tannins.  Harvest dates  Residual sugar  19 Feb - 8 Mar  1.8 g/l  The Winemaking  Small batches of grapes are gently crushed  and then transferred to open fermenters,  where the Roussanne skins and Shiraz are  co-fermented. Foot treading is undertaken  two thirds of the way through fermentation,  the wine is basket pressed and transferred  to old French oak to complete fermentation  and mature. The barrel ferments are aged  on lees, there is no racking until final  blending and no fining or filtration.  The Characteristics  Wonderfully aromatic, with violets, dusty  clay pot, and some earthiness. The palate is  loaded with herbal tomato leaf, liquorice,  black olive brine. Fine cherry tomatoes.  Black cherries. A fresh acidity, but very well  integrated into the wine. Mellow and velvety  with soft tannins. A lovely long lingering  finish.