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.

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 varieities, 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 ëescapedí 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 Analysis
Harvest date: 10th, 11th and 21st March, 4th and 20th April 2006
Bottling Date: August 2006
Alc/Vol: 15.5%

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“The 2005 The Houdini, an innovative blend of 50% Shiraz and equal parts Zinfandel and Merlot…”
Wine Advocate #167, Oct 2006 (more)