2005 Barossa Shiraz Zinfandel

Tasting Notes

Aromas of cherries and other dark fruit float out of the glass, supported by hints of bracken, chocolate and spice. These characters flow onto the palate and sail on, all the while balanced by tight tannins and subtle flavours of fruitcake.

Cellaring

Smidge recommends drinking this wine within the next 6 to 7 years.

Viticulture

The Shiraz was sourced from vineyards ranging from 5 to 60 years old in the western ranges of the Barossa Valley. The blocks averaged yields of 2 tonnes per acre and all had soil profiles of deep red clay loam. The Merlot comes from a small vineyard (< 2 ha) in the heart of Verdun, in the Adelaide Hills. The vineyard rows run down the hill following the North Westerly aspect and are planted on red brown clay mottled with granite and rock. The canopy is structured as a true Vertical Shoot Position (VSP). Lastly, the Langhorne Creek Zinfandel is grown on sandy loams over limestone adjacent to a flood plain of the Bremer River in Langhorne creek, the vines are allowed to sprawl, but require careful irrigation management. After extensive crop thinning, the vines became balanced and even.

Vinification & Maturation

Over the three varieties, average time on skins was 13 days, with the average ferment temperature being 29.5oC, as Zinfandel is allowed to get up to around 32oC compared to Shiraz and Merlot which attain a maximum of around 28oC. Each batch was pressed independently, as they were all destined for their own blend until certain barrels 'escaped' to become the Houdini. Each barrel was kept separate just prior to bottling when all of the components were combined. After a bit of tinkering, by the way of adding a little more of this and a little more of that, the Houdini was created with a final blend of 50% Shiraz, 25% Zinfandel, 25% Merlot.

Technical

Harvested - March/April 2005
Bottled - March 2006
Alcohol - 14.5%
Blend - Shiraz 50%, Zinfandel 25% & Merlot 25%

Current Releases

2009 Barossa Shiraz Zinfandel

2010 McLaren Vale Shiraz

2010 McLaren Vale Cabernet sauvignon

2011 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc

2008 Adelaide Hills Dry White

All Vintages

On the 2005 Houdini...

Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate Oct 2006
"The 2005 The Houdini, an innovative blend of 50% Shiraz and equal parts Zinfandel and Merlot, all aged in neutral French oak, is a soft, pleasant, fruity, round..."

2005 Smidge Wines Houdini - www.gabesview.wordpress.com - Posted March 11, 2008

First up from Smidge Wines is The Houdini. This wine is a blend of 50% Shiraz, 25% Zinfandel and 25% Merlot. Each varietal was aged separately in neutral oak and blended right before bottling....The Houdini’s nose reveals big, rich, dark berry fruit along with some subtler spice notes. As soon as I took the first sip I was hit with cassis and big jammy fruit. The mid-palate has a ton more dark berry fruit accompanied by mocha notes that become more prominent as The Houdini opens up. The finish on this wine is solid and filled with lots of spice and lingering mocha characteristics. This is a well balanced wine with good acidity.

The Houdini drinks pretty well right out of the bottle, but a solid hour in the decanter allows it sufficient time to reveal many of it’s more complex qualities. The 25% Merlot that was blended in provides a solid backbone and some silky textures for this wine, allowing the brighter fruit of the Shiraz and Zinfandel to really shine up front. It pairs well with grilled meats and strong cheeses. The Houdini is an easy drinking wine with relatively soft tannins. I wouldn’t expect it to improve much in the bottle, but 2-5 years of enjoyable drinking certainly seem plausible. The Houdini’s most impressive trick is how quickly it disappears from your glass. The suggested retail price for The Houdini is $24. At that price, this wine is delivers a lot of pleasure.

Smidge Wines