VINTAGE and VINEYARD
The actual word ‘vintage”, apart from its obvious viticultural meaning as in the harvest or taking of grapes from the vine, also has an historical meaning or patina attached to it- consider the use, and meaning, of the word in vintage cars or Grandma’s vintage wardrobe collection.
Vigneron’s memories tend to coalesce around what sort of vintage it was; some are indelibly etched into the hippocampus. The 2017 was perhaps the most difficult vintage since the 2011 vintage, which we at Blackjack tagged as Noah’s vintage.
Bookended by 170mm of rain in September 2016 and 141mm in April 2017, both are records (both 50 year records for their respective months), the 2017 was certainly challenging. In direct contrast to the first four months of 2019 where 45mm of rain was recorded in total, and only 5mm in April 2019!
A common refrain of this annual Newsletter is the joy of the vintage variations. Each vintage has its unique characteristic, its own expression. There would no challenge, or joy, if each vintage was just a replica of the previous year.
All things considered, we are actually very pleased with the wines. They are certainly not as big as in recent years, more mid- palate weight wines, with a delightful balance and finesse. See our tasting notes in the order form.
WHAT’S NEW
As most of you will already know (from a recent email), the 2016 Blackjack Mr Ramoy has been released-It has taken 3 years, two in barrel and another year in bottle. A wine to replicate the very first wine we released in 1994- from equal quantities of grapes from each vineyard block; from the original Shiraz, Block 6 and Cabernet blocks. All fermented in new French oak puncheons, extended skin contact and finally pressed and blended before being returned to the same barrels for aging. Just 100 cases produced. And the name, Mr. Ramoy? Some of you will be aware the Blackjack is named after an American sailor who came to the Castlemaine Gold fields in the 1850’s. His actual name was Santa Rosa Ramoy and we think the wine deserves to be called Mr Ramoy.
A BLACKJACK WEDDING
Yes, the Blackjack babies are growing up, while the originals quietly retreat into the background, as it should be. The first Blackjack wedding. It was a wonderful, rather hot December day, overlooking the Blackjack Vineyard, where the stocks of the Blackjack Rosa took a beating. A great day
MELBOURNE TASTING
Again, as for the past three years, at the historic and rather beautiful Royal Society of Victoria Building. We look forward to catching up with many of you.
- Thursday 27 July 2017 from 4 pm to 7pm.
- The Royal Society of Victoria, 9 Victoria St (cnr Exhibition St and Victoria St) Melbourne 3000, in the Burke and Wills Room. www.royalsocietyvictoria.org.au
See enclosed INVITATION for time and date and bring it along to go into a draw to win a mixed dozen of the 2015 Blackjack Vintage.
And congratulation to Penny Clarke from Bulleen, who won last year’s mixed Blackjack dozen.
The new releases will be on tasting at cellar door from SATURDAY, July 22nd and we invite you to come and try thenewvintage.Weareopenweekendsfrom11amto5 pm. We look forward to meeting you. If you purchase directly from the cellar door, please let us know so we can keep our mail order records up to date, and so you get your mail order discount. We again extend to our valued mail order customers the opportunity to have your order delivered freight free. We use Australia Post to deliver wine. If not home they will leave a note for collection at your local Post Office, or you can have it sent to a PO Box. Australia Post will not leave wine unless there are specific instructions to do so.
