2005 MadFish Gold Turtle Shiraz Tasting Notes

The 2005 MadFish ‘Gold Turtle” Shiraz is the second release of the first single region wine for MadFish. The grapes were selected from the Frankland River region in the Great Southern. Since first plantings in the mid 1990’s it has become self evident that Shiraz has a remarkable affinity for the climate and soil aspects of the Frankland River. The continental climate and the gravely well drained loams produce Shiraz grapes with prodigious depth of colour. Rich plum, cherry, clove and anise characters are the trademark character of Frankland River Shiraz. This Gold Turtle Shiraz celebrates the best of Frankland River Shiraz from the 2005 vintage.  With fine conditions the 2005 season looked very promising after a dry winter; good shoot growth was achieved early and there was low disease pressure in the early part of the season. Conditions throughout the remainder of the ripening season were very good. Cold and windy weather around flowering failed to disrupt bunch development and full even bunches were set. Reds from the earlier regions, Margaret River and the Frankland River sub-region, were very good with full flavour and colour achieved with consistent ripening. At the beginning of April there was a major rain event where 50mm to 200mm was recorded across the whole Southwest and Great Southern. This interrupted the ripening process of many later reds in the Great Southern. Fortunately we harvested our Gold Turtle shiraz before the rain and the resultant wine show no detrimental quality impact.  In summary I would expect the 2005 vintage wines to be very strong and will improve with further maturation in the bottle.  Fermentation occurred in open stainless steel tanks with twice daily pumpovers aiding fruit and tannin development. A very small amount of Viognier was co-fermented with the Shiraz assisting colour stability and enhancing the complexity of the wine aroma. The wine was matured in new, 1, 2 and 3 year old French oak for 12 months. The objective was to produce an elegant Shiraz with complex aromas and characters and with texture and structure that would reward cellaring, the use of French oak instead of traditional American oak gives rise to a wine of greater sophistication.

The 2005 MadFish ‘Gold Turtle’ Shiraz is an outstanding wine of great depth and complexity which represents a new leap in quality in the already highly regarded MadFish line up. The wine has an opaque purple red appearance indicating the concentration of the Shiraz fruit from the 2005 vintage. The nose shows Satsuma plum and raspberry fruits with the spicy clove hints that have become signature characteristics of Frankland River Shiraz. Aromatic tones of ripe berries with a hint of white flowers, perhaps derived from the Viognier are backed by restrained and cedar like oak. The palate is rich and concentrated allowing the wine to be enjoyed in its youth without gripping astringency. There is great depth of ripe berry and red liquorice flavour with more complex clove and anise characters. The wine displays the sweet plush middle palate and lingering spicy finish that makes good Frankland Shiraz so attractive.

The 2005 MadFish Shiraz has sufficient fruit to allow early consumption but would benefit from medium term (5-8 years) aging.