The Barossa Valley has been at the forefront of Australia’s wine production for a number of years, some would even say for generations. Most of the significant players within the Australian wine industry have a link to this historic region with a focus on full bodied red wines. Recently however, as high alcohol, over the top wines lose their trendiness, a new wave of Barossa producer is creating a more elegant style. Don’t for one minute think that the Barossa is now all about cool climate elegance. It will always give you that “wow” factor and it should always be a part of your drinking and cellaring experience.
Tomfoolery is a newish winery that is on that cusp of being considered a “cult”. Don’t be taken back by the funny names and labels, these guys are serious producers and will be around for a long time. The Tomfoolery adventure began in the sweltering heat of the 2004 harvest with one tone of old vine shiraz and two mates – Ben Chipman and Toby Yap – Well known identities in the Barossa Valley where they work for Barossa producers Rusden Wines and Langmil Wine respectively.
The Tomfoolery winemaking philosophy is simple, small parcels of fruit hand crafted through a simple and relatively non-interventional approach with the aim to truly reflect the individual characteristics of the vineyard and varieties. The fruit for this wine is handpicked from two premium old vineyard sites in the North Western ranges of the Barossa Valley. After a fermentation of 5 days the wine is gently basket pressed minimizing the extraction of harsh tannins. The wine is transferred into French Oak Barriques for 24 months prior to blending and bottling.
It is an upfront wine, but medium scale in terms of weight. There are powerful aromas of plums and Christmas pudding spices with an earthy meatiness on the nose. The Medium body of the palate is supported by subtle oak with black and blue fruits contributing to the overall quality of the wine.