Lost Penny Almond Row Shiraz 2020

Nick and Carol Riebke are extremely proud and excited to join together as a family to produce their very own premium Barossa wines. All from the same family blocks in Ebenezer, Barossa Valley, that their family has worked since the late 1800s. But, the story of Lost Penny Wines has deep roots.

It began five generations ago, after their ancestors came to the Barossa to escape religious persecution in Germany. They brought with them Shiraz cuttings on the ship, with the hope of beginning a new life. For Nick and Carol their combined knowledge, passion, family heritage and dedication to preserving Barossa winemaking traditions have all been poured into Lost Penny Wines.

Almond Row was named after one little row of almond trees that once grew beside these Shiraz vines. When Nick was a child, he would pick the almonds and crack open the shells so he could sell the kernels for his pocket money. But as time went on, the trees were no longer required. Today you can still see the odd almond shells next to this block of Shiraz. Matured in French oak barrel for 18 months.

The 2020 vintage started with a dry growing season and continued with below-average rainfall. Budburst and early vine growth were delayed in September with below average minimum temperatures but then caught up during October and November with warmer than average days. January and December resulted in above average maximum temperatures. As February was closer to average maximums and below average minimums, it resulted in the perfect conditions for the ripening of smaller crops. By the end of the second week in April, we had finished harvest – one of the earliest on record.

Dark deep red with a garnet core, rich dark red fruits with intense sweet oak.
A full and complex structure with mouth-filling intense black fruits rich sweet oak spice giving a round, full and complex structure.

Overall this wine is still very young holding fresh acidity and with careful cellaring will assist the wine to develop and further evolve. The 2020 Lost Penny Almond Row Shiraz has an overall sweet spiced nose and palate with an elegant structure built around mouth filling rich berry characters and will cellar with ease.

"Impenetrable core into a deeply purple-tinged rim. Blackberry, spearmint and dark chocolate aromatics. A big, rich red loaded with ripe blue and black fruits, a layer of dark chocolate and cinnamon provides interest along the line. Velvety tannins caress the edges and drive length but lack power to focus the finish to full dryness. Offers a lot of wine at the price. 88 Points Stuart Knock – The Real Review"