Heirloom Vineyards A’Lambra Eden Valley Shiraz 2014 was awarded the trophy for Best Shiraz (Syrah) then further the wine won the Special Trophy for Best Red Wine of the year at the AWC Vienna Wine show in 2017.
AWC Vienna is the largest international wine competition. 1800+ producers from all continents participate. The A’Lambra was selected above all 12 other red wine trophies and many thousands of entries from 40 countries.
The Heirloom Vineyards family are properly a-fizz (metaphorically and literally) in delight, dancing on the proverbial with this news. Initially speechless, but now composed enough to provide some extra information before more Champagne corks are popped.
More so as sadly we only realised we had won these awards until after the results and gala dinner for 3000 people in Vienna had passed. Elena Brooks and her family would have done anything to have attended, to have proudly pronounced things like;
Vintage 2014 in the Eden Valley was the year to bottle the poetry of Shiraz, Heirloom Vineyards most renowned vineyard for Shiraz. (In Eden Valley, part of the Barossa, and one of our equal favourite regions for the variety)
Heirloom Vineyards acclaimed Family Winemaker, Elena Brooks, despite her relative youth, has spent the best part of two decades making acclaimed South Australian Shiraz, from many regions for various leading producers – and first released her own as Heirloom Vineyards from this extraordinary old vine single vineyard in Eden Valley in 2009.
Proof of Elena’s patience in the proverbial ‘long grass’ was sorely tested until 2009 in Eden Valley but subsequent vintages had seen Elena and her team pounce on their precious prey, capturing not one but three Heirloom Vineyards Shiraz wines but just one released under Heirloom Vineyards distinctive reserve label, A’Lambra Eden Valley Shiraz
To sum up in a few words;
Heirloom Vineyards A’Lambra Eden Valley Shiraz = Perfumed & Pure.Powerful & Profound
Heirloom Vineyards A’Lambra is a single site of old vine Eden Valley Shiraz that is a precise, but personal presentation of the variety that proudly stands alone, pitched for perfection.
The Heirloom Vineyards A’Lambra purposefully challenges the perception and many of the relatively recent past principals of Shiraz production in Australia, in no small part relying on older proven practices.
Combining extraordinary old vine Shiraz (early 20th Century) grown on their own roots with “Heirloom” vinification techniques, hand pruning, harvesting and hand plunged whole bunch indigenous fermentation in small open fermenters – basket pressing to finish in half new half older French Oak (and a few Bulgarian Oak – Elena’s homeland) barriques to then spend up to two years before bottling
The previous vintage 2013, was awarded the most contested best wine at the Barossa Wine Show – as well as many other trophies for best Shiraz, best Red etc. And it was the second year in a row that one of Elena Brook’s wines had been awarded best wine show - the first winemaker ever to have been awarded so.
Despite extraordinary worldwide critical acclaim following Heirloom Vineyards A’Lambra Eden Valley Shiraz since its first vintage in 2009 (Noting only citing its vineyard name A’Lambra on the label since V2014) and the pedigree of the vineyard we think we are improving our interpretation of its terroir.
Not for nothing Elena believes Vintage 2015 to be even better than 2013 and 2014 – a romantic equal to vintage 2009, with the and vintage 2016 the best of the lot. Vintage 2017 a presumptuous peer at this point. But she has a soft spot for vintage 2010 and thinks the lighter vintage 2011 will cellar as long as the others. Under screw cap seal we humbly propose a safer and slower cellaring proposition than our inspirational and rare, 1936 vintage of a sadly past neighbouring produce that we only have a few bottles left of
We invite you to consider our Heirloom Vineyards A’Lambra Shiraz if you can, better still to compare and contrast vintages and celebrate as we are. Production is limited but our pride at this point not.
Feel free to contact us directly at winery@heiloomvineyards.com.au
Cheers
The Brooks Family
