Deisen, Barossa Backblock Shiraz 2010
It feels a little like insider trading, but I happen to know a bloke who knows a bloke and suddenly, a bottle of the soon to be released Deisen Backblock Shiraz 2010 fell onto my desk last week.
This little-known vineyard nestled in between some of the Barossa’s most highly regarded winemakers like Rockford and Charlie Melton produces low volumes of Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet from some of the best fruit you will find. Being such a small producer, you won’t find their product in any of the majors but they are well worth tracking down either at the cellar door or online.
The 2010 Backblock Shiraz is as ripe and opulent as you’d expect of a fruit-driven Barossa Shiraz but shows enough soft tannic restraint across the palate to suggest that it will develop nicely with time spent laying on its side. I’d go so far as to suggest that if you can be patient, this cracker of a wine will be even better in five to 10 years time. Although the alcohol is quite high at 15.5%, there’s no burn at the back and I’m sure that the slight aniseed edge currently showing on the finish will settle with time.
I don’t know how this Barossa Shiraz has managed to fly under the radar for so long and to think until I met a bloke who knows a bloke, I’d never even heard of it!