Tait Border Crossing Shiraz 2021
Ripe blueberry compote, with mocha and toffee on the nose. Espresso beans, chocolate covered blueberries and the faintest trace of spearmint, on the palate. Broad shouldered and plush texture, with layers of complex flavors. Firm tannins and acid structure means this will hold up for years to come. 950 cases made, 850 cases imported.
The grapes were picked when physiologically ripe to obtain peak ripeness in terms of sugar and flavor. McLaren vale is approximately 2 hours from the Barossa Valley. Therefore, the grapes were machine picked in the early hours of the morning when it was coolest, to ensure the freshness of the fruit when they arrived at the winery. The grapes were de-stemmed into 5 ton open fermenters where the pH is adjusted. Fermentation took place over 7 days at a temperature of approximately 75 degrees F, using a cultured yeast specific for high alcohol wines. A combination of plunging and pumping over took place 3 times a day to ensure maximum, color and flavor. The wine was then pressed off, using a traditional basket press. Maturation occurred in barrels for 18 months in a combination of 2 year old French and American oak before being bottled. The wines are bottled un-fined and un-filtered.
Having already created The Ball Buster and The Wild Ride, Bruno wanted to try his hand at a wine from another region. The Border Crossing is a wine project enabling Bruno to see how his style of making Shiraz would work made from parcels of grapes from McLaren Vale, a different region from his beloved Barossa Valley. There in McLaren Vale, approximately 2 miles from the ocean, near the small town of Aldinga, he found a block of 30 year old vine Shiraz, that produces a wine that is big and lush just like his wine back in the Barossa however with more blueberry and mocha characteristics. The combination of a great vineyard, open fermentation, basket pressing and maturation in oak barrels ensures the 2018 Border Crossing has the TAIT Wines hallmark characters of generosity, power and balance.
The 2021 growing season was average for rainfall, but rain fell primarily early in the growing season. November 2020 was the driest since 1990 and was a definite hard end to Spring. There was mild weather through December where there was only two days above 95°F. January was slightly hotter but still below average. The temperatures in February were ideal with no days above 95°F and temperatures staying around the high 70’s and low 90’s each day. It was a long, drawn out vintage but wine quality was good, with grapes allowed to fully mature on the vines.
