For the last 4 weeks I’ve been gallivanting around the globe doing press for the upcoming Tool album. Grueling to say the least. Our last stop was in Sydney. My homeward bound ticket was booked, my bags were packed, and talking muscle was spent. Time to go home. Then I received word from Peter that crush was about to begin. I didn’t hesitate. I now had the opportunity to participate in the 2006 Magill Estate crush in Adelaide, S. Australia and i wasn’t going to pass it up. What a treat. Got my hands dirty, ran some numbers, chilled some juice. I even had the opportunity to see the 2005 Grange and the 2006 Magill Estate Shiraz in barrel. This place is over 100 years old. They still use the original cement fermentation bins and house some of the barrels in the underground catacomb like cellars. Very educational experience. Hands on. Lots of TLC, which doesn’t come as a big surprise. If you’ve ever tried any of their cellar reserve wines or the Magill Estate Shiraz, you know exactly what I mean. The Pinot is hand sorted bunch by bunch and then cold fermented. The Sangiovese is processed without any interference. They allow the resident yeasts to complete the entire fermentation cycle. And the results are delicious. But only possible if executed by skilled and intuitive professionals.
True artists at work here. And so much history. This building was making wine in the mid to late 1800’s and to think it’s still making wine is inspiring. There