Woodvale Vintners / Kevin Mitchell today is guided by generations of local horticultural and viticultural knowledge on both his father’s and mother’s side, and assisted in particular by his father Mort Mitchell. Kevin’s philosophy is to keep things small and discrete, giving each wine the chance to perfectly depict the characteristics of the Skilly Valley and the conditions and microclimates of each vineyard. Intervention is kept to a minimum, except to continually reinvest in the soils and the vines and to use a judicious hand in guiding and enhancing the journey from grape to glass. This attention to detail, both in the vineyard and in the winery, was recognised with a debut five-star rating in its first Halliday Wine Companion review, with Woodvale also listed as one of the Top Ten New Wineries of 2018. Those early successes have since been backed up by outstanding vintages in a select range of varietals, including Riesling, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mataro, Semillon, Pinot Gris and Grenache.
The Spring Garden Shiraz is a blended Shiraz from a selected vineyards across the Clare Valley. Named after Kevin’s Great Grandfather, Tom Duke’s family farm on Duke Road, Penwortham. Tom Duke was a local businessman and orchardist whose own father, Alfred Duke, had arrived in Penwortham in the early 1860’s. Other than growing and drying currants, Spring Gardens farm was typically horticultural, the rich soils and abundant rainfall of the period allowing Tom to grow world-class citrus, pears, apples, blackberries, cherries and quince while developing a large beekeeping business that continued to thrive for decades. It was an easy decision to name one of Woodvale’s finest Shiraz after that historic farming property. A cooler than expected vintage, characterised by slow controlled ripening, intermittent rainfall and cool nights balanced by warm and clear days. A year with tremendous palate length, fine-grained tannins, poise, and well-honed structure. All parcels were kept separate throughout the process, pumped over by hand and basket pressed straight to a collection of new and seasoned French oak hogsheads. Final blending and bottling is neither fined nor filtered. Inky red in colour, lifted dark cherries, red fruits, and licorice infusion on the nose. Textured, fine-grained and persistent on the palate, the flavours of dark cherries, liquorice, and tar are further enhanced by the supportive charry French oak nuances. Pairs beautifully with a rich beef stew. 14.5% ABV