Lazy Ballerina Shiraz

Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia

Sub Districts: McLaren Vale (Tatachilla) ; Blewitt Springs.

Winemaking:

First made in 2004 at the infamous RedHeads Studio, where drinking, loud music and winemaking mix well into the night. Black fingernails, red wine. racy grapes, hand picked and sorted, an open fermenter, a long cool fermentation plus a basket press. Very old fashioned.

Current release is the 2009 Vintage.

The Maker:

James wrote his first paper on grape growing when he was 15. A treaty on the grape disease 'Downy Mildew' after which the rest of his life was fixed.

Fast forward to the present James Hook is a vine doctor in McLaren Vale. Grape growers and winemakers look to him to help with their problems. Never short of a theory, or an opinion. James helps wineries big and small. He goes behind the scenes to giving up his trade secrets. but there is one thing he won't give away.

Who is the girl on the label?

All he will tell is the wine is named for a way of growing grape that turns vines into giant solar collectors.

Production: 400 -500 cases

Honour Roll:

2004 Vintage

92 pts James Halliday

94 pts Campbell Mattinson - Winefront

2005 Vintage

Bronze Medal 2007 McLaren Vale Wine Show

94 pts James Halliday

93 pts Campbell Mattinson - Winefront

2006 Vintage

93 pts James Halliday

94 pts Campbell Mattinson - Winefront

2007 Vintage

Bronze Medal 2007 McLaren Vale Wine Show

92pts James Halliday

95 pts Campbell Mattinson - Winefront

2008 Vintage

Bronze Medal 2011 Cowra Wine Show

90 pts Campbell Mattinson - Winefront

2009 Vintage

91 pts Andrew Graham - WBM