Wild Duck Creek Original Vineyard Shiraz 2014

The Original Vineyard (planted in 1988) embodies the pinnacle of Wild Duck Creeks’ winemaking. Production is rare at best, with four vintages being released over the past twenty years. It’s certainly classified as a micro-production Shiraz (only 300 bottles) and is sold exclusively on allocation by the winery.

The first vintage was crafted in 2001 - 150 magnums were offered for sale at $500 and it sold out immediately.

The 2006 vintage came next and was released only as part of a 4-pack to highlight their single vineyards. Almost a decade passed before the next release, 2014 followed by the 2016 and 2017. 

As with all great wines, geography and terroir play an important role - The vineyard faces east and grows in a valley alongside the Wild Duck Creek adjacent to the winery. The surrounding geography protects the vines from harsh winds during the growing season. The soils naturally hold what little moisture falls upon them and the vines bask underneath clear Heathcote sunshine. The grapes are picked at full and balanced ripeness, with up to 50% of whole bunches retained in each small ferment.

The wine is then gently pressed into 100% new Dominique Laurent barrels, with each small parcel from the vineyard kept separate. These barrels are super-special and considered the finest in the world. In fact, they have been christened ‘magic-barrels’ by the industry. Dominique Laurent is a highly respected winemaker in Burgundy whose skills also extend to barrel making as he quickly realised that the quality of the barrel plays a critical role in the success of a wine. It is a long and involved process since Dominique insists on air drying the wood for up to seven years before it is ready to use. To maximise efficiency and to add an extra source of income to the business, Dominique produces extra barrels which he sells to prestigious wineries including Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Zind Humbrecht, the great Champagne producer, Egly-Ouriet, Torbreck (The Laird) and Pingus. Like great wine, these barrels are sold on an allocation basis only!

Back in Australia, we understand the retail price of The Original Vineyard Shiraz is $1,000 per bottle with allocations ex-winery priced at $750.