By James Atkinson
Wolf Blass this week released its 2012 luxury collection, which its current winemaking team says showcases the label's distinctive heritage alongside some more contemporary touches.
Chief winemaker Chris Hatcher and senior winemakers Caroline Dunn and Matt O'Leary have been with the Wolf Blass brand for some time. Dunn and O'Leary yesterday agreed this been vital to the label's consistency, but they said this experience has been complemented with new ideas and approaches from the team's more junior members.
"It's important to have that youth coming through with new ideas," said O'Leary, at the Sydney release function.
"There is a style to the wines, which has to evolve, but there also needs to be respect for that style."
Hatcher said in a statement that the luxury collection teams up two exceptional Grey Label wines from the outstanding 2010 vintage, "which pay homage to Wolf Blass' roots and celebrate regional and varietal individuality".
"From the much-lauded 2008 vintage, Black Label is the perfect expression of provenance and skilful blending, while as the perfect counterpoint, 2009's cooler harvest has enhanced the purity and line of the Medlands Estate terroir, which is evocatively reflected in the Platinum Label Shiraz," he added. [continues below]
Wolf Blass winemaking team
While Grey Label and Black Label have a history as long as Wolf Blass itself, with the latter this year celebrating its 36th consecutive release, Dunn said Platinum was first created in 1998, shortly after she joined the winery.
Since 2002, Platinum's Shiraz has been sourced purely from Wolf Blass's home of the Barossa. Dunn said the continued evolution of Wolf Blass will see further exploration of different subregions, as with this year's single vineyard Platinum Label Shiraz.
She said Wolf Blass would ultimately like to include a Malbec in its range, once it has the requisite fruit available.
Available now, the new luxury collection features four new release wines:
2010 Wolf Blass Grey Label McLaren Vale Shiraz RRP $44.99
2010 Wolf Blass Grey Label Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz RRP $44.99
2008 Wolf Blass Black Label Langhorne Creek Barossa McLaren Vale Cabernet Shiraz Malbec RRP$129.99
2009 Wolf Blass Platinum Label Barossa Valley Shiraz RRP$169.99