2024 Bird in Hand Syrah

Our Bird in Hand Syrah is a wine that marries tradition with innovation and pioneers a new direction for Australian wine, showcasing the potential of Adelaide Hills' cool climate fruit.

The 2024 vintage in the Adelaide Hills was characterised by a wet winter, followed by a mild to warm spring that accelerated budburst by 2–3 weeks. Summer was warm and dry, promoting rapid shoot growth and necessitating canopy management to ensure optimal sunlight exposure. The mild conditions in the lead-up to harvest ensured excellent flavour development and acid retention.

Parcels of Shiraz were selected from the Bird in Hand Estate in Woodside planted with clones Tahbilk, 2626, 1654 and 1127, specifically targeted to a cool climate Syrah style. Sustainability underpins the management of our Estate Vineyard, with all inputs from organic origins, and vines nurtured to encourage their fullest expression.

Minimal-intervention winemaking is at the heart of this Syrah, with quality the absolute focus. Bunches were hand-picked and gently destemmed at harvest. Each parcel was fermented separately, with a significant component of whole bunches included in each fermenter. All batches were wild fermented in small open-top fermenters, spending 10 days on skins.

This Syrah was matured for 14 months in large-format, tight-grained French oak barrels (25% new oak)

The resulting wine displays an intense ruby hue with purple edges and lifted aromatics of raspberry, violet, white pepper, and rosemary. The palate is medium-bodied, with supple fruit weight and savoury notes of toasted aniseed and smoked spice on the mid-palate. Fine, focused tannins give the wine tremendous structure and length, allowing it to develop beautifully in bottle for over 10 years.