Bird on a Wire Syrah 2017

Named after the Leonard Cohen song of the same name, Bird On A Wire is a small wine producer in the Yarra Valley run by winemaker Caroline Mooney. Bird On A Wire wines are generous and flavourful, refined and elegant. The focus is on small, single-vineyard sites owned by growers committed to producing outstanding grapes. The sites are selected for their suitability to each variety - Shiraz, Marsanne, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Caroline has a special love for Shiraz and Marsanne, both of which are grown on a single vineyard in the Yarra Glen area.

"It would be easy to call this, from a stunningly cool vintage, a somewhat Rhône-like wine. And maybe it is to a degree, but it’s also a fine exemplar of modern Yarra syrah/shiraz done right. This is a fragrant, spicy and complex wine, full of sour cherries and wild berries shot through with dry spices, a twiggy complexity and underpinned by a rugged minerality. Lithe, supple and lingering, this is benchmark cool climate syrah."  Young Gun of Wine

"The Syrah fruit is sourced from a vineyard in Yarra Glen which is on an ENE slope, optimising the warm sun but protecting fruit from Australia's harsh afternoon summer sun. The soils are lean and gravelly which helps regulate vine vigour and crop load per vine. Small crops result in intense flavours, while the lean soils enhance the texture and savoury aspects of the fruit. No acid adjustments have been made to this wine. This wine is a testament to the superior site on which the Shiraz vines are planted and will cellar for more than 10 years and reward those with patience. You will love the vibrancy and spice in this savoury and lively 2017 Syrah."  Bird on a Wire

Expert reviews

"Syrah from Yarra Glen in the Yarra Valley. 10% whole bunches, 15% new oak. An outstanding wine. The medium-bodied and elegant palate is flooded with delicious black cherry and plum fruit, woven together with spice and quality oak. Beautifully balanced, complex and finishing with fine, savoury tannins, the wine is a must for lovers of cool climate syrah."  Nick Munday, Canterbury Wines - 96 points and Special Value Wine  ★ 

"From a vineyard planted on the northern end of Yarra Glen, 10% whole bunches and matured in 300L French hogsheads (15% new). A medium and still bright cherry red. On the nose there is some black olive tapenade, fresh coffee grounds and a little cacao to go with the concentrated black plums. The medium-bodied and persistent palate reveals dark cherries and savoury notes. The wine culminates in a long, satisfying finish with supple, still quite persistent tannins. Good now, this will continue to improve for some time yet. Drink by 2027."  Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion – 95 points

"This is possibly one of the most dark and brooding syrahs you’ll find in the Yarra Valley. Black cherry, spice and violets lead the way, with some prune, mushroom, cola and gamey notes from bottle age. On the second night, it’s even more of a knockout."  Gourmet Traveller

"It would be easy to call this, from a stunningly cool vintage, a somewhat Rhône-like wine. And maybe it is to a degree, but it’s also a fine exemplar of modern Yarra syrah/shiraz done right. This is a fragrant, spicy and complex wine, full of sour cherries and wild berries shot through with dry spices, a twiggy complexity and underpinned by a rugged minerality. Lithe, supple and lingering, this is benchmark cool climate syrah. A nose of wild red and dark forest berries, brown spice, cracked pepper, star anise and crackling dried herb notes from judicious whole bunch fermentation. The palate crests on spice-dusted cherry and sour plum flavours, with supple, fine tannins guiding the elegant wine through a long finish."  Young Gun of Wine, Wines We Love

Awards

Special Value Wine – Canterbury Wines  ★

About the winery

Named after the Leonard Cohen song of the same name, Bird On A Wire is a small wine producer in the Yarra Valley. Owner and winemaker Caroline Mooney grew up in the Valley on a farm in Yering. The farm is now the Yarra Valley Dairy, owned and run by her family. There’s not much Caroline doesn’t know about the Valley: its seasons, its topography, the captivating vistas, the colorful personalities, and the extraordinary winescape of the upper and lower reaches of the valley. All of these factors make the Valley a place she loves to call home. 

Caroline started in the wine industry working a vintage with Hardy’s Tintara in McLaren Vale in 2000. "This would test my resolve, sharpen my sense of calling, and set my course on a way forward," she recalls. Following this first vintage, she enrolled at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga to study Wine Science. Inspired and up for the challenge, she returned to the Yarra Valley and took up a cellar hand position with the Yering Station winemaking team led by Tom Carson, working her way up to Assistant Winemaker in 2004 and Winemaker in 2007.

In 2006, Caroline travelled to Hermitage in France’s Rhône valley to work at the legendary Domaine Jean Louis Chave. This time in Hermitage inspired her to take a new direction. So in 2008, she left Yering Station to pursue her own winemaking goals with Bird On A Wire.

Bird On A Wire wines are generous and flavourful, refined and elegant. The focus is on small, single-vineyard sites owned by growers committed to producing outstanding grapes. The sites are selected for their suitability to each variety - Shiraz, Marsanne, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Caroline has a special love for Shiraz and Marsanne, both of which are grown on a single vineyard in the Yarra Glen area.

Owner and winemaker Caroline Mooney