2023 Mistress Block Vineyard Shiraz

Brokenwood has managed the Mistress Block Vineyard and made wine from it since the late 1980s. The vineyard is now owned by Iain Riggs and Sally Margan, with the vines well over 50 years old and planted on a steep, east-facing slope. It is a perfect site to avoid the hot summer heat. The dark loam soil absorbs the heat, and the grapes are in shade for the latter part of the afternoon. Our third consecutive wet year, La Nina continued to make herself known through the first three quarters of the year, with widespread floods again experienced across South Eastern Australia. Up to the 31st of December 2022, we received 1365.5mm of rain with 97 rain days at Brokenwood. Pokolbin reached its annual rainfall by the end of June, with 2022 being the wettest year that we have had on record. The start of the growing season was particularly challenging with vineyard access and Downy Mildew pressure a constant issue. Thankfully, the weather cleared up in late October. Fruit condition and canopy were excellent despite the cool summer. This resulted in one of the latest harvests on record, resulting in perfect tannin ripeness. Mistress Block was not being picked until the 18th of February. Picking was conducted under mild, cloudy skies.