Bodhi Tree Shiraz, McLaren Vale
Good Energy
Adelaide and its surrounding hills apparently sit on a bed of quartz crystals and it is said that good energy flows down from the hills and into the basin that is the McLaren Vale and Willunga area. It’s no surprise then that in this area there are many good wines and innovative practices, with a growing number of wineries working organically and biodynamically. In this area we also have the popular local farmers market, the eco-village and a large number of people working in the health, healing and environmental fields. Added to this natural foundation, we add selected crystals in the vineyard (and alongside the barrels as the wine matures) and explore positive intention setting with the use of symbols of love. Further energy practices can be found in Our Philosophy.
Carrying the good energy and practices right through, we incorporate environmentally-friendly alternatives wherever possible, including using O-I’s Lean+Green® lighter-weight wine bottles, which use fewer raw materials and less energy. In addition, beginning with our 2020 bottling, we’ve begun to use labels made from sugar cane pulp.
Tasting Notes
Vegan-friendly and with low preservatives, the wine is dense violet/ruby in colour. Vibrantly floral and redberries/plums and lush milk chocolate with underlying fennel notes on the nose. The flavours burst of ripe, juicy red plums, pomegrante and milk chocolate with subtle licorice root and fresh-sawn cedar notes on the palate. Heady with nuances of anise, macerated blackberries & cream with accents of fresh muddled mint. Medium-bodied, this elegantly textured wine is quite seamless as fruit and savoury flavours integrate in the mid-palate, a hint of toasted vanilla pod and clotted cream and ripe long-string tannins confirm the wine’s structure and age-worthiness through the finish.
Viticulture
We live on the vineyard and as such we use primarily natural processes for the better health of our wine, our land, our animals and our family. Our philosophy is that of sustainable viticulture practices incorporating organic, and some biodynamic principles to maintain vineyard health, vine balance and soil nutrition. Using a combination of minimal watering, hand pruning and thinning and no use of insecticides and pesticides. The permanent sward of natural grasses that grows between the vines creates natural organic matter that encourages earthworms. This is beneficial as earthworm castings aid in the moving of nutrients from deep in the soil to the root-zone where the vines have access to them. It also insulates the ground from the sun’s rays and aids in the retention of moisture, minimising the need to irrigate. Our belief is these environmentally-friendly practices allow the low yielding vines to produce fruit with intense varietal flavours that express a sense of place derived from our family-owned vineyard.
Winemaking
Hand- picked and crushed into five tonne open stainless steel fermenters. Cold-soaked for 6 days, the wild yeasts present on the grapeskins were allowed to start the fermentation process, after which cultured yeasts were added to ensure completion. The ferment was pumped over twice daily and hand plunged to ensure gentle extraction of colour and flavours. This wine was transferred to one and two year old French and American oak hogsheads to finish malolactic fermentation. Once completed, the wines were racked and returned to the same barrels to age for up to 18 months prior to being blended together. This wine is then bottled, unfiltered to ensure the true essence of the fruit and vineyard are uncompromised.
A Personal Note
We know how enriching it feels to eat food from our farmers markets, or our own backyard. Well, the same thing applies to our wine. We have a very small patch of land for growing our grapes– 3 acres, practically a big garden! With that small area, we are able to put lots of attention and love into them. We make choices to grow them as healthfully as possible, using organic alternatives, some biodynamic practices, taking the natural option wherever possible. Many of us can feel the difference when we eat food grown and prepared with love and good intention, well now we have a wine that fully aligns with that too.
We love our land and our vines,
We love our grapes and our wine.
We know you’ll love it too ♥
