The 2021 is exceptional being from the 10/10 vintage 2021. This makes it the eighth release of Ziegenmarkt. We skipped the 2020 vintage which was adequate for decent reds yet for those wanting a bit more we could not find it. Reflecting back, the decision was right, so drink up your 2020 reds.
So when did consumers first conclude that wines from the Barossa Valley developed a greater depth of flavour than other districts? Certainly, by the 1940s it was noted that Shiraz produced unusually deep colours and full-bodied flavours. There are no earlier records, yet this realisation will go back much earlier. The reasons why the Barossa is associated with rich flavours is complex though is due to the geography, the inland summer heat and cooling air from the west. We now know enough to say that no other place on earth duplicates these conditions. Shiraz takes on a concentrated, heady flavour, with a luxurious mid-palate sensation of fruit sweetness.
The first Goat Square Shiraz was vintage 2006 and it was not till vintage 2013 that our winemaking had advanced to release the first Ziegenmarket making the 2021 the eighth release. In any vintage parts of vineyards produce grapes which have better flavours, and this is often replicated in the vineyard year after year. Wines also evolve differently in barrel, so we wait a year or so before isolating the most promising barrels for further attention. In this way this 2021 Ziegenmarkt was born.
