Massena 11th Hour Shiraz 2021

It was their love of the historic old vines of the Barossa that led Dan Standish and Jaysen Collins to start Massena wines in 2000. At the time, Dan was head winemaker for Torbreck, and Jaysen was the GM of Turkey Flat. Being both Barossa-born and raised their collaboration came from a desire to create wines of character, balance and a reflection of the sense of enjoyment in the whole winemaking process.

The search for appropriate vineyard sites that echoed their sentiments was a long and involved one, but finally culminated in welcoming Stonegarden custodian Glen Monaghan into the Massena collective. All of the fruit for the Massena wines is sourced from dedicated growers in the deep red soils of the North Western edge of the Barossa. Traditional Barossa varieties of Shiraz, Genache and Mataro are grown in the subregions of Greenock, Stonewell and Moppa from rare vineyards that host dry-farmed, low yielding vines up to 150 years of age. Add in the Stonegarden vineyard, planted in 1858, and you have a range of exeptional sites that show true provenance and expression of terroir.

With fruit this good, there is no need to work it too much. Winemaking intervention is kept to a minimum, with no additions, fining or filtration, and only a minimal amount of sulphur used. The wines are vinified quite traditionally, with use of whole bunch adding savoury complexity in both whites and reds. Massena wines are a great example of the current, modern style of Barossa wine, and are definitely worth seeking out.