Michael Downer ain’t holding back: “2021 was a freakishly good vintage for our estate Syrah,” Neither does Ned Goodwin, for that matter (review below). In some ways, this is Downer’s signature wine. It comes from a single parcel of vines at Murdoch Hill’s Landau block in Oakbank, a predominately east-facing slope at 400 metres above sea level on shallow, red loam soils with varying levels of schist rock and a vein of ironstone. The vines were planted in 1998. Oakbank’s warmer, sunny days allow the Syrah vines to fully ripen their fruit while the afternoon breezes and cool nights help promote natural acidity. The block is sustainably managed with zero herbicides and organic principles.
Exploring the elegant and spicier side of Adelaide Hills Shiraz, Downer’s Landau Syrah is all about buoyancy, lacy shape and cool-fruited freshness. In the cellar, he works with whole bunches and whole berries, and minimal oak maturation. The wine is raised in older oak puncheons and demi-muids (less than 10% new) for 10 months.