2020 Reed Wines ‘Knife’s Edge’ Shiraz, Grampians, Victoria, Australia

ABOUT THIS WINE

In the granitic hills southwest of Great Western lies the Hyde Park Vineyard. This is a large, warm site speckled with a variety of soils – shale, slate, silt, sand, and iron – and lovingly farmed by Robin Kuchel, near 100% organically, depending on the vintage. The Hutton and Dalbertin blocks were chosen for their contrasting characteristics: the high and warm Hutton block providing dark fruit and spice, the low and cool Dalberti adding red fruit and perfume.

Hand-picked, hand destemmed and sorted. Wild fermentation with 1/3 whole bunches. Élevage in large format neutral French oak for twelve months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Sierra Reed has become a prominent figure in Australia’s wine scene in the few years since Reed Wines launched in the 2015 vintage. Sierra came to the world of wine in a circuitous fashion. Her first career was in modeling, which despite the faults she identified in the industry, gave her the opportunity to travel and see the world. She parlayed her modeling into a brief career in television: a season on the reality show Survivor followed up by a travel show based in New Zealand. All these pieces of the puzzle led her to this moment: while shooting with winemakers in New Zealand, Sierra realized that making wine was what she wanted to devote her life to.

A complete immersion in winemaking followed. with a rapid succession of vintages in Paso Robles (Hearst Ranch Winery), the Yarra Valley (Domain Chandon), the Napa Valley (Piña), the Barossa Valley (Head Wines), Mornington Peninsula (Kooyong), Central Otago (Rippon), Beaujolais, France (Domain du Vissoux), the Grampians (Mount Langi Ghiran), the Napa Valley (Hunnicutt Winery), Barolo, Italy (E. Pira & Figli – Chiara Boschis) Geelong (Lethbridge Wines), Rheingau, Germany (Robert Weil) and Pfalz, Germany (Kohler Ruprecht). Phew!

This series of experiences, relationships, and lessons led Sierra to start her eponymous winery with the 2015 vintage in Australia. Sierra has devoted herself to making single vineyard bottlings of special plots across the country: everything from Heathcote nebbiolo to Barossa grenache to riesling from her home region of Geelong. Her winemaking is not programmatic: each vintage is treated sensitively and
intuitively, with the goal to make an expression of the land and the year. The only additive the wines see is a minimal amount of sulfur.