Shanahans Wines

“A promise is in honour's debt”

Variety: Grenache
Region:  Barossa Valley
Alc/Vol: 14%
Winemaker: John Harris

Colour: Bright cherry red with purple hues.

Bouquet: Juicy characters on the nose featuring dark plum and red currant which leap from the glass and emulate fermenting must.

Palate: Dark plum, blackberry, spiced cherries, raspberry, minerals and Asian spices wrap around a skeleton of fresh acidity and fine mineral laden tannins.

Winemaking: Bush vine Grenache was handpicked and delivered to the winery where the fruit was partially de-stemmed into an open fermenter. Indigenous fermentation with 30% whole bunch was retained adding more complexity and structure. The fruit was then hand plunged for 10 days; after the wine was then pressed off skins using a basket press and into old puncheon barrels where the wine completed primary fermentation. It completed natural malolactic fermentation and was matured on lees for a 6 month period before being bottled with minimal filtration and no fining.

Cellaring: Ready to be enjoyed now and will have a great lifespan which will enable it to be drunk over the next 5-8 years.

“It’s the old dog for the hard road and the puppy dog for the footpath”

Variety: Shiraz

Region: Barossa Valley
Alc/Vol: 14%
Winemaker: John Harris

Colour: Dark purple and red in colour.

Bouquet: Intoxicating rich blackberry and plum with a burst of mulberry fruit with layers of earth and spice evident.

Palate: Full flavoured, rich and mouth filling with plum, mulberry and spice reflecting the bouquet. It’s a super fruit driven style of Barossa Valley Shiraz finishing with some silky-smooth tannins, soft underlying oak and a slight earthy character which seems pivotal to the overall balance. We release this wine to ensure the drinkability upon release as well as longevity, although do suggest allowing this exceptional Shiraz to breathe and allow the tannin to melt away to truly reflect perfectly who we are and where we are in terms of fruit source and sub regional character from another great Barossa Valley vintage, which celebrates our commitment to the region, traditional winemaking, and hands off approach.

Winemaking: Sourced from three vineyards; two in Greenock and one in Seppeltsfield in the Western Barossa Valley. The Shiraz grapes were individually picked out in the vineyard for their exceptional quality hence we allow the use of multiple sites to ensure optimum flavour profile. The grapes are picked and delivered to the winery and gently worked through the de-stemmer before being transferred to small open fermenters. The juice is pumped over twice a day for seven days before draining and loading the basket press. The skins are then gently pressed for approximately 20 hours to retrieve more of the essence of the grape. After the wine has completed its malolactic ferment, it is then aged in older 2–4-year-old French oak barrels for 12 months prior to bottling with minimal fining and filtration.

Cellaring: Drinking exceptionally now upon release and I expect it will continue to evolve and drink well for the next 5-7 years at a minimum.

"Our love will never grow old, it's Evergreen"

Variety: Riesling
Region: Eden Valley
Alc/Vol: 11.5%
Winemaker: John Harris
Colour: Brilliant pale green

Bouquet: Floral, lemon and lime with lychee aromas followed by apple and some orange blossom adding depth and complexity to the nose.

Palate: Youthfully attractive but full and textured; the palate opens up with layers of flavour highlighted by citrus characters. Lemon and lime reflect on the palate whilst some crisp apple and natural fruit acidity give a really textural mouthfeel. Extremely approachable in its youth upon release, the wine will have the ability to age gracefully over time.

Winemaking:  The Riesling is sourced from a single vineyard in the cool climate, high altitude region of Eden Valley in the Barossa ranges. The grapes were individually picked out in the vineyards for their exceptional quality and picked separately to the rest of the vineyard. To ensure the grapes were harvested at the optimum flavour and acid balance, the ripening of the grapes was monitored with regular berry tasting in the lead up to picking, then harvested in the cool of the night. After crushing and must chilling, the free-run juice was drained and clarified with minimum skin contact. This juice was then cool fermented between 13 – 15C with selected yeast to enhance the delicate Riesling flavours. The wine was bottled with a screwcap closure to retain the pristine aromas and flavours.

Cellaring Potential: Ready to be enjoyed now and will have a great lifespan which will enable it to be drunk over the next 5 years for those that enjoy aged style Riesling.

"Why bark when you have a dog"

Variety: Grenache (48%) Shiraz (31%) Mataro (21%)
Region:  Barossa Valley
Alc/Vol: 14.0%
Winemaker: John Harris

Colour: Bright purple and red colour.

Bouquet: Aromatics are once again the highlight of this time-honored Barossa blend. Classic Grenache is the obvious driving force which provides a fresh perfumed nose with vibrant plum and forest fruits, some liquorice, cherries and dried herbs.

Palate: Fruit forward style with dominant fruit characteristics whilst tannin and oak balance add the complexity. Lively fruit flavours with juicy forest fruits, dried herbs and a touch of French oak. The use of large old format oak creates a fine flowing style of wine with just the right amount of fruit weight and finesse whilst still giving length ensuring its multi-dimensional.

Winemaking: The Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro were all sourced from the Western Barossa Valley with the use of older 61-year-old Grenache (48%) and 25-year-old Shiraz (31%) providing the core structure whilst 59-year-old Mataro (21%) adds the earthy character. The vineyards are hand tended and the parcels used were selected and isolated from the rest of the vineyard picking a little earlier than fruit destined for other wines. The grapes were hand-picked and delivered to the winery and the Shiraz and Mataro were de-stemmed whilst half the Grenache component was left as whole bunches before being transferred to an open top fermenter. Pre-ferment cold soak before being gently pumped over or punched down by hand to achieve optimal colour and retain the critical fruit flavour. Post ferment maceration occurred before draining into large format 2–3-year-old 500 litre puncheon barrels for 12 months. Bottled and released whilst the flavour is still at its most vibrant.

Cellaring: Ready to be enjoyed now and will have a great lifespan which will enable it to be drunk over at least the next 5+ years.

“Inside my heart forever you’ll go, If forever exists…”

Region:  Barossa Valley
Alc/Vol: 15%
Winemaker: John Harris

Colour: Deep garnet in colour.

Bouquet: Profoundly scented with a complex nose of dark chocolate, blackberries, mulberry, fig and spice. There are also suggestions of dried herbs and pencil shavings.

Palate: The palate reveals a well-balanced wine of massive proportions with plush, velvety structure that’s perfectly in tune with the fruit-forward, yet savoury characters that give it epic persistence. Dark chocolate, mocha and black olive all appear within a bed of chewy tannins and uplifting acid; the finish just goes on and on...

Winemaking: Sourced from select vines located in a single vineyard in Marananga region on the western side of the Barossa Valley from vines planted in 1900. The Shiraz grapes were individually picked out in the vineyard for their exceptional quality and picked separately to the rest of the vineyard.

The grapes are then handpicked and delivered to the winery and de-stemmed by hand on sorting tables before being transferred to a small purpose-built concrete fermenter. The juice is pumped over two to three times daily for seven days to extract, homogenize and regulate temperature before draining and loading the basket press by shovel. The skins are then gently pressed for approximately 24 hours to retrieve more of the essence of the grape. This juice is then blended with the juice collected earlier. After the wine has completed its malolactic ferment, it is matured in a mixture of American and French Puncheon barrels for 3 years without topping then bottled without fining or filtration.

Cellaring: Allow it to breathe for an hour or two prior to drinking to allow the true nature of the wine to reveal itself; this wine is built to last for decades or, If Forever Exists...

“You reap what you sow; success doesn’t come with ease”

Variety: Shiraz.
Region:  Barossa Valley
Alc/Vol: 15.0%
Winemaker: John Harris

Colour: Deep opaque purple core with a bright red edge.

Bouquet: Deep concentrated aromatic style, which may appear quite closed upon first impression, so I highly recommend allowing to breathe before serving. Once allowed to open and express itself you will find layers of plum, licorice, lavender and black olive.

Palate: Concentrated powerful fruit flavours of blackberry, plum, black olive and some dark chocolate. Again, allowing the wine time to open will reveal a natural fruit elegance and supporting oak flavours to reveal themselves and play a contributing not dominant role. Great length and drive into the finish with perfectly balanced natural fruit acid and silky-smooth tannins which give you a soft delicious culmination.

Winemaking: Sourced from a single vineyard on Dommenz Road in the Greenock sub region of the Barossa Valley on the Western Ridge, the Shiraz grapes were individually picked out in this vineyard for their exceptional quality just for this specific wine. Only the fourth release of this wine which is only released in the best vintages. The grapes are picked and delivered to the winery for crushing and were fermented in one small batch. Fermented with submerged cap in a small open top stainless-steel fermenter the skins were basket pressed and combined with the juice before being drained into barrel for 24 months in a mixture of 50% new and 50% second use French Oak Hogsheads and puncheon barrels for maturation prior to bottling with minimal fining and filtration.

Cellaring: Drinking exceptionally now upon release if allowed to breathe but I expect it will continue to evolve and drink well for the next decade.

“Silence is of great value, some things are better left unsaid”

Variety: Shiraz

Region:  Barossa Valley
Alc/Vol: 14.5%
Winemaker: John Harris

Colour: Deep dark red purple in colour.

Bouquet: Complex nose showing blackberry, raspberry and dark cherry with hints of plum, black olive, and peppery spice.

Palate: Voluptuous, opulent and yet refined are the trademark of Silence is Golden. This vintage produced perfect fruit with a great level of fruit intensity. Highly concentrated pure wine featuring alluring flavours of blackberry, plum, dark cherry and chocolate. There are tannins as smooth as velvet with the slightest touch of acidity and wonderfully integrated oak ensuring great intensity, length, and cellaring potential. 

Winemaking: Sourced from three blocks in the Barossa Valley from vines aged from 48-62 years. The 2022 vintage is another stand out vintage; the timing of picking was critical again as ripening was slow due to cooler than normal ripening temperatures, so we carefully watched and picked based on berry ripeness not just Baume. The Shiraz grapes were selected based on flavour profile to ensure consistency of style. The grapes were picked and delivered to the winery and gently worked through the de-stemmer before being transferred to an open fermenter with 20% whole berries. The juice is pumped over twice a day for seven days before draining and loading the basket press. The skins are then gently pressed for approximately 20 hours to retrieve more of the essence of the grape. After the wine has completed its malolactic ferment, it is matured in 25% new and 75% older French oak barrels for 18 months prior to bottling with minimal fining or filtration.

Cellaring: Allow it to breathe if drinking early. In its youth it will show wonderful fruit purity, but this wine is built to last and I expect to be drinking it over the next decade at a minimum.

"Our love will never grow old, it's Evergreen"

Variety: Riesling
Region: Eden Valley
Alc/Vol: 11.5%
Winemaker: John Harris
Colour: Pale straw with a green hue.

Bouquet: A delicate perfumed nose of lemon blossom and lime with a minerally character adding a third dimension.

Palate: Youthfully attractive but full and textured; the palate opens up with layers of flavour highlighted by citrus characters. Lemon and lime reflect on the palate whilst some crisp apple and natural fruit acidity give a really textural mouthfeel. Extremely approachable in its youth upon release, the wine will have the ability to age gracefully over time.

Winemaking: The Riesling is sourced from a single vineyard in the cool climate, high altitude region of Springton, Eden Valley in the Barossa ranges. The grapes were individually picked out in the vineyard for their exceptional quality to capture natural fruit acidity and freshness of flavour. To ensure the grapes were harvested at the optimum flavour and acid balance, the ripening of the grapes was monitored with regular berry tasting in the lead up to picking, then harvested in the cool of the night. After crushing and must chilling, the free-run juice was drained and clarified with minimum skin contact. This juice was then cool fermented between 13 – 15C with selected yeast to enhance the delicate Riesling flavours. The wine was bottled with a screw cap closure to retain the pristine aromas and flavours.

Cellaring Potential: Ready to be enjoyed now and will have a great lifespan which will enable it to be drunk over the next 5 years for those that enjoy aged style Riesling.