Bird on a Wire label name was inspired by the lyrics from a song by Leonard Cohen. Winemaker Winemaker Caroline Mooney was born and bred in the Yarra Valley, she did a stint in the Rhone Valley with her husband at the iconic JL Chave estate. This sparked Caroline’s love for the 3 grape varieties she is now solely producing: Syrah, Chardonnay and Marsanne.
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. All natural acidity, aged in 25% new French oak and no filtration.
Deep ruby red in colour. Nose is intensely perfumed, dark cherry, rose petals, blackcurrant and a touch of meatiness and smokiness. You could easily mistaken this for a Northern Rhone Syrah. Palate is elegant and concentrated with silky tannins and balanced acidity. Flavours of black cherries, dark plums, blackcurrant, black pepper, savoury and a tiny hint of vanilla.
95 points “Can’t say I know anything about this wine, save that it’s Yarra Valley, Syrah, is made by Caroline Mooney and is very damn good. Caroline Mooney grew up in the Yarra Valley and has accrued extensive winemaking experience both in Australia and abroad; it shows in the wine. Indeed more on her winemaking experience can be found here.