The First Karrawirra Shiraz was the 2008, we passed on the 2011 as the fruit was poor, with the 2018 becomes the latest Guardian of the Barossa.
Vintage 2017 was the year of a large crop with the next large crop being the magical even perfect 2021. The intervening years of 2018, 2019 and 2020 were the years of heat and increasing dryness and tasting these three vintages together will be a wonderful exercise.
Karrawirra was the term used by the local Australians and translates as ‘stands of red gums’. These massive trees, many hundreds of years old, are a distinctive feature of the South Australian landscape and were logged in massive quantities in the early days of settlement.
A tragedy now as from the 1870s they were used as fuel for the steam driven machinery used in the local flour mills. Those that remain are greatly prized and the connection with red gums is why we refer to Karrawirra reds as guardians of the Barossa.
We are not coy about how we want our Barossa reds to taste and the more flavour the better. Delicacy and finesse, we applaud but not with Karrawirra. The 2018 is true to form.