Lerida Estate Canberra District Shiraz 2019
Style: Red Wine
Closure: Screwcap
Lerida Estate Canberra District Shiraz 2019
Pick up
Burke Road
Camberwell VIC 3124
Australia
Producer: Lerida Estate
Country: Australia
Region: Canberra District
Vintage: 2019
Critic Score: 98 and ★★★★★
Alcohol: 14.2%
Size: 750 ml
Drink by: 2032
Trophy, Best Red in Show - 2020 NSW Wine Awards
Trophy, Best Shiraz - 2020 NSW Wine Awards
Trophy, Best Red in Show - 2021 NSW Wine Awards
Trophy, Best Shiraz - 2021 NSW Wine Awards
Trophy, Best NSW Wine - 2022 Sydney Royal Wine Show
Lerida Estate is a boutique winery located on the shores of Lake George, some 40 kilometres northeast of Canberra. The 12 hectare estate vineyard was first planted in 1977, predominantly to Pinot Noir. Fruit for the 2019 Canberra District Shiraz was sourced from a four-hectare vineyard at Murrumbateman that they lease. The wine took out trophies for best red and best shiraz two years running at the NSW Wine Awards. In 2020 it received a whopping 98 points from the judges – the next best pointed shiraz received 95 points!
"An attractive medium-bodied cool climate shiraz from the Canberra District that starts ticking all the boxes from the first whiff and sip. Berry flavours and peppery spice on the nose lead into a silky palate of plum and dark cherry fruit. Long and supple, the palate has a satiny texture and mouthfeel. Compelling and excellent value." Nick Munday
"100% Canberra District, fruit from Murra Vineyard, Murrumbateman, 2.5 tonnes per acre, open fermented and hand plunged twice daily, 100% French Oak (20% new). This wine exhibits the acclaimed spice and fruit characters for which Canberra District Shiraz is celebrated. A complex nose foreshadows the rich, dark fruit on the palate, albeit with a light body. Its seamless integration between mid-palate fruit, spice, and the long soft, tannin finish reflects winemaking skill and attention to detail. With age, the wine will become progressively richer, revealing warmer, more complex flavours, riper berries and a little liquorice. Drink now, but definitely worth cellaring for 4-6 years." Lerida Estate
Expert reviews
2020 NSW Wine Awards - 98 points
"The 2019 Lerida Estate Shiraz is an attractive medium-bodied cool climate shiraz from the Canberra District that starts ticking all the boxes from the first whiff and sip. Berry flavours and peppery spice on the nose lead into a silky palate of plum and dark cherry fruit. Long and supple, the palate has a satiny texture and mouthfeel. Compelling and excellent value." Nick Munday, Canterbury Wines - 95 points and Special Value Wine ★
"Lerida Estate 2019 Shiraz is from Murrumbateman Murra vineyard and has 14.2% alcohol, garnet hues and berry pastille aromas. Vibrant plum flavour shows on the front palate, the middle palate has Maraschino cherry, mulberry, mint and savoury oak and a finish of minty tannins. Price: $42. Ageing: 6 years." John Lewis, Newcastle Herald ★★★★★
"Lovely. The Lerida renaissance continues. The lightly peppered. Seamless cool climate Shiraz fruit here is so lovely. Perfume, silken palate, and enough tannins to keep you interested. Polished. Plenty of life left." Andrew Graham, Australian Wine Review – 94 points
Awards
Trophy, Best Red in Show - 2020 NSW Wine Awards
Trophy, Best Shiraz - 2020 NSW Wine Awards
Trophy, Best Red in Show - 2021 NSW Wine Awards
Trophy, Best Shiraz - 2021 NSW Wine Awards
Trophy, Best NSW Wine - 2022 Sydney Royal Wine Show
Top Gold Medal - 2020 NSW Wine Awards (98 points)
Special Value Wine – Canterbury Wines ★
About the winery
Lerida Estate Vineyard near Lake George
Canberra Region's Lerida brand owes its existence to its founder's love of French pinot noir-based burgundies, but today it is also hitting the heights with shiraz reds.
Lerida came into being after Jim Lumbers returned to Australia after developing a taste for Burgundy reds. He and his wife, Anne Cairne, were attracted by the excellent pinot noirs from the Canberra pioneer Lake George vineyard established in 1971 by CSIRO scientist Edgar Riek, renowned for his research on fossil insects and yabbies, marrons and freshwater crayfish.
They first planted vines in 1977 and turned what had been a bush paddock into a fine 11.7 hectare cool-climate vineyard, added a Glen Murcutt-designed winery, barrel hall, cellar door and cafe with great views over Lake George.
Jim and Anne achieved their pinot noir ambitions and added other varieties with plantings of pinot gris, chardonnay and shiraz and, after 23 years at the helm they decided to retire and put Lerida up for sale.
Purchasers were found in Michael McRoberts and his wife Tracey. Michael, an accountant by profession, was lured by his taste for Lerida pinot gris. "I used to go through an absolute truck load of pinot gris from Lerida, and when I found out it was for sale that was one of the things that attracted me. I wanted to invest in something I cared for and was passionate about, and I like drinking wine so that's how it came about." Michael recalls.
Since their 2017 purchase, the McRoberts have recruited Andrew McFadzean as operations manager and added to their shiraz assets by leasing a four-hectare vineyard at Murrumbateman.
The wines are made by Jacob Law.
The above text is taken from an article by John Lewis in the Newcastle Herald
New South Wales
New South Wales is home to more than 500 wineries across 16 wine regions that produce a range of extremely diverse wines. The regions are Canberra District, Cowra, Gundagai, Hastings River, Hilltops, Hunter Valley, Mudgee, Murray Darling, New England, Orange, Perricoota, Riverina, Southern Highlands, Shoalhaven Coast, Swan Hill and Tumbarumba.
Hunter Valley is New South Wales' best known wine region and has long stolen much of the spotlight . It is also Australia’s oldest continuous wine region - the first vineyard at Wyndham Estate was established in 1828 using cuttings supplied by viticulturist James Busby, widely considered the father of Australian wine. Semillon is perhaps the most iconic wine of the Hunter Valley and is among the greatest and most distinctive wines of Australia - if not the world.
New South Wales' wine regions have a wide range of microclimates. The Great Dividing Range has a substantial influence on the climate of many of the viticultural areas. The regions of higher elevation, such as Canberra District, Canberra District, Orange and Tumbarumba have cooler climates with more continental influences. These regions are responsible for some of the State's most enticing chardonnay, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, riesling and sauvignon blanc. They, together with the Hunter Valley, which by contrast, is very warm, with high humidity and a large amount of rainfall during the growing and harvest season, produce the bulk of the high quality wine in New South Wales.