I have seen a couple of 07 Shiraz from Barossa that I have liked. One was the Izway Bruce and another is this wine. Firstly it is not showing the heat from the 07 vintage and is actually quite fresh and vibrant which is always a good sign. Dark chocolate, mocha, coffee, spice, blackberry and tannin to finish. 93 points Anthony D'Anna
Grape Variety: 100% Shiraz
Background: The sixty year old Shiraz vines from Greenock that produced this wine were ready to be uprooted due to the lack of yields and the reluctance of other companies to pay a premium for this excellent fruit. After repeated requests for access to these grapes, at 'the eleventh hour' our growers decided to stop the bulldozer and retain a small area of these vines.
Winemaking: Mild days, overcast skies and cool evenings throughout April 2007 provided ideal conditions for achieving phenolic ripeness without losing all important natural acidity and freshness. Sourcing grapes from old vine vineyards in the North West corner of the Barossa, we vinify each parcel separately in open concrete fomenters. Ageing in seasoned French oak barrels for 16 months, the wine was moved to tank in individual components for five months before blending and bottling without fining or filtration in January 2009.
The Wine: The dense and brooding 2007 reveals lifted blue fruits supported by licorice, black pepper and hints of lavender, fennel and roasted caraway seeds. The opulent palate is full of rich blackberries, roasted coffee and typical Barossa fruit sweetness. Its supple tannins and energetic acidity ensure the wines ease in its youth without sacrifing the all important skeleton of structure required to reward drinkers for many years to come.
On a brightly moonlit Tuesday evening at around eleven o'clock on the Barossa to Clare road, two young blokes are cruising their way to work the midnight shift for the last vintage of the century, in a beat-up old Toyota Corolla "The Brown Bullet".
During the drive home, we would often crave a soft slurpy wine to wash down a hard night's work. Out of this ideal wedecided to join forces and make a Grenache based wine to be enjoyed whenever the mood takes hold. As such Massena Vineyards first wine "The Moonlight Run" was born.
The two of us have been mates since High School and have been producing Barossa wine since that initial vintage in 1999, concentrating on the traditional values and techniques which have made the wines of this region unique.
We source our fruit from dedicated growers in the North Western Barossa areas of Greenock, Kalimna and Koonunga Hill, providing fruit from dry farmed, low yielding vines up to 120 years of age.
Whilst we work mostly with traditional Barossa varieties Shiraz, Grenache and Mataro from these growers, we also enjoy experimenting and trialling new varieties in the Barossa such as Petite Sirah, Barbera, Dolcetto, Roussanne, Saperavi and Tannat. In true artisan style each vineyard section is kept separate during vinification and elevage, until the final blends areassembled.
