Wallace is the ancestral name of Colin Gaetzer's wife, whose family hail from the old market town of Cupar in Fife. Judith's Celtic ancestry is reflected in the three elements of the Wallace label, a thistle, the cross and the arcane Celtic knot. Wallace takes on the traditional Barossa mix of Shiraz and Grenache in a thoroughly modern way. Few winemakers understand old vines fruit as well as
Barons of the Barossa Ben and Colin Glaetzer, as they fashion Wallace into a comforting and indulgent mix of old world charm, dark forest fruits, cigarbox and spice.
From a small sub region of the northern Barossa Valley called Ebenezer. The viticulture is standard single wire, with permanent arm and rod and spur. Plantings aged sixty to eighty years are trained onto a trellis for ease of pruning, harvest and disease/ frost control. Vines are subject to smart canopy management, daily monitoring of fruit quality and flavour development is essential. Parcels are harvested separately in short breaks. Glaetzer know that Grenache does not handle oak well, choosing to vinify and mature the Grenache in fermenters to retain freshness and animation of fruit. The Shiraz component is aged sixteen months in a selection of two to three year old French and American oak hogsheads.
Deep garnet red. Rich, peppery old vine Shiraz dominates, a hint of of dark cherry from the Grenache contributes an attractive floral lift to the nose. The palate is rich and full yet supple and fresh, Shiraz provides backbone, body and flesh, Grenache brings complex tannins and fresh acidity, while adding soft, vibrant juiciness. Textural tannin components are supported by lively notes of plum and hints of cassis.
