Shiraz Great Southern 2018 – Three Lions

To produce the Shiraz Great Southern Three Lions the fruit was machine harvested in the cool of night and cold soaked for seven days prior to fermentation to ensure gentle extraction and layered tannin development. The must was allowed to warm naturally and undergo fermentation at approximately 25°C. It was then pressed at dryness and aged in a mixture of older barriques and stainless steel with careful oak integration. This Shiraz has a fruit forward style with elegant, well-structured tannins that typifies the cool Great Southern region.

Grapes for the Three Lions Shiraz are sourced from 2 subregions within the Great Southern area of western Australia. 85% of the fruit comes from 25+ year-old vertical shoot positioned, cordon spur pruned vines that grow on soils composed of sand, gravel and ironstone. The remaining 15% comes from 20-year-old vines that are planted on deep gravel soils, also vertical shoot positioned and cordon spur pruned to enable easy foliage removal and reduce the risk of disease.

The Three Lions wines are from Plantagenet. The name Plantagenet was given to the shire in Western Australia by early English settlers and was adopted by the winery when it was established in 1974. The arms of the Gules family, who later became the Plantagenet dynasty, were three lions passant guardant, termed colloquially “the arms of England”. They were first adopted by King Richard the Lionheart (reigned 1189–1199), son of King Henry II of England (reigned 1154–1189), and grandson of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou.