One of the truly great partnerships in the Barossa is the blending of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Whatever the proportions and regardless of whether Shiraz or Cabernet is dominant the synergy is unmistakable.

Six Bottle Case $600.00 | Dozen Price $1140.00

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Production:

Sourced from individual patches of our Stonewell Hill and Stelzer Road Vineyards .
Total production 1200 bottles
192 Re-Released July 2025

Colour:

Deep dense red with hints of purple lingering around the meniscus.

Nose:

Spearmint perfume layered over cassis and red currant and summer berries. Lifted vanilla oak blends back and is filled out with the complexity of the spicy French giving an beautifully balanced nose.

Palate:

The initial richness of the fully raspberry characters are poised against the spearmint menthol over finely balanced against firm oak and fruit Tannins. Good acid against the fruit sweetness, cleanses the mouth for a beautifully balanced palate The middle palate is full of the of the big berry hit of Cabernet supported by the leathery richness of Shiraz. The long palate finishes with the deep bass complexity brought out by extended lees contact.

Philosophy:

Its the 26th of May 2020 as I sit and write this label, celebrating both Alex and this 2015 Liquid Incarnation. Its been a crazy few months, as the COVID19 Pandemic rips its way across our planet. The initial panic in March, as this virus started to infiltrate Australia, evolved into a siege where of all things, obtaining toilet paper seemed to be the central topic of our lives W T F ? ? In the last few weeks, when it became obvious that Australia was successful in defeating the first wave, weve reached the point where restaurants, Cafs and MOST IMPORTANTLY PUBS are slowly reopening. HOORAY !! For Alex, now in year nine at high school, its been a bit like living in Opposite World. While the rest of us have bemoaned the loss of personal freedom, our social interactions and being restricted to home, Alex has been in seventh heaven. His generation thrive in the online world, interacting on Discord preferentially, even before the virus turned our life upside down. I think he loved the fact that he could do his days study in twenty minutes and spend the rest of his time, (with his mates) living in his digital world. The way this (almost) fifteen-year-old took Lockdown in his stride actually annoyed the hell out of me, and the only sweet sweet revenge was a couple of weeks ago when we sent him back to School to learn in the real world again. Ha!
The components for the 2015 Alexanders Reward Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz all reached their nirvana point on the vine within a week of each other. The House on the Hill Cabernet Sauvignon block (which drives this blend) along with all the Shiraz blocks were all picked between the 21st and 27th of February. As my winemaking philosophies have evolved and perhaps, matured chasing lithe sexy structure is my holy grail and the 2015 fruit delivered admirably. There is a lifted line of fruit purity that sings through the 2015 Alexanders Reward that celebrates each varietal contribution unselfishly. The 2015 Alexanders Reward Cabernet Shiraz was created from small batch parcels drawn from Sand, Loam and Clay from both our Stone Well Hill and Stelzer Road Vineyards. Each batch was hand plunged three times a day during ferment before being basket pressed after a total of 21-35 days on skins. The wine was filled with full lees to a mix of old and new American and French Oak for 25 months maturation before being racked to tank to settle. After final blending, 1200 bottles were filled (unfiltered) of the 2015 Alexanders Reward Cabernet Shiraz in February 2018.
As a 10 year old wine, in mid winter 2025, 192 bottles have been re-released of the the 2015 Alexanders Reward Cabernet Shiraz; Aged to perfection! Team david Franz have as always finished the bottle with the hand printed love we would never let it leave home without.
Enjoy and Cheers!

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