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The Wine Society's Generation Series Barossa Shiraz 2023

3.875000000 star rating 8 Reviews
A fantastic-value Australian exclusive that proved its quality under blind-tasting conditions in our 2024 Wine Champions blind tastings. Part of our limited-edition Generation Series range of wines celebrating our 150th anniversary year, this is a vibrant, medium bodied and aromatic shiraz which is a clever take on the style from Barossa before the 80s and 90s, when the trend for big, OTT and high-alcohol wines set-in. This is bursting with violets, purple fruit and pepper on the nose. The palate is fresh, zesty and juicy, with a floral finish. We wanted to show the elegance that Barossa shiraz is capable of, and one name stood out to create this special, limited-edition bottling – Whistler. Winners of our 2024 Climate & Nature fund, Whistler want to find an alternative way to control weeds that doesn’t require chemical treatments or tilling but contributes instead to moisture retention, carbon sequestration and soil health. Our funding will support a series of trials over three years with the results shared widely with other growers. For a video message from the winemaker, and for more on the story of this wine, please scroll down.
Price: £13.50 Bottle
Price: £162.00 Case of 12
Low stock
Code: AU26611

Wine characteristics

  • Red Wine
  • Full-bodied
  • Syrah/Shiraz
  • 75cl
  • Now to 2026
  • 14.5% Alcohol
  • no oak influence
  • Cork, diam

More on the wine

We have worked closely with Whistler, a small family winery in Tanunda in the Barossa Valley, to produce this 150th Anniversary shiraz especially for Society members. Whistler have blended a vibrant and youthful style of shiraz, without the use of dominant oak, demonstrating that such vibrancy and elegance can still be achieved from a region which is now more famous for full-throttle and alcoholic wines.

Whilst Whistler is a relatively new supplier to us, having become a key part of our portfolio as recently as 2021, they very much share the Society's ethos of collaboration and fairness. The current generation of the Pfeiffer family at the helm, Sam and his wife Kelsey, are fourth-generation grape growers and it was Sam's father Martin who founded the winery in the 1990s. Martin had been a head viticulturalist for legendary brand Penfolds and was one of only three people permitted to take cuttings of shiraz from the famous Grange vineyards in order to plant his own. Sam and Kelsey have taken Whistler from strength to strength and brought in Michael J. Corbett, one of South Australia's most admired winemakers, to boost the team.

It is a true pleasure to be able to work with small wineries who value our relationship as much as we do, and Whistler's consistently excellent quality and their aptitude for collaboration made them a no-brainer when it came to creating this special limited-edition wine.

Whistler Wines

This small family-run property was founded in 1982 by third-generation grape grower and Penfolds’ former head vineyard manager Martin Pfeiffer. It was planted with cuttings of Kalimna 3C Shiraz clone from one of Penfolds’ famous Grange vineyards in 1994 and the first wines were released in 1997.

For four generation the Pfeiffer family have been growing grapes, from Albert Heinrich Pfeiffer in the Riverland region of South Australia to Sam Pfeiffer who took over from his parents Martin and Sally in 2020. It was Martin, who ran Penfold’s vineyards, who established Whistler by buying the Heysen estate in 1982 and, planting Kalimna 3C shiraz clone cuttings from Penfold’s world famous ‘Grange’ vineyards, along with semillon. 1997 saw the first wines and the 2000s saw a number of prestigious prizes come their way. The adoption of organic and biodynamic methods began in 2013 and in 2020, on the retirement of Martin and Sally, their son Sam has taken over the running of the business.

Winemaker Michael J. Corbett has excellent experience to bring to bear, having worked in 26 vintages across 13 regions in France, New Zealand, the US and Australia, with some prestigious names on his CV. Each wine is dependent on the hard work done in the vineyard and is vinified in its own way, sometimes with food treading, varying ferments and vessels, and with not fining or filtration of any wine. This small family winery is most definitely worth watching, or...

This small family-run property was founded in 1982 by third-generation grape grower and Penfolds’ former head vineyard manager Martin Pfeiffer. It was planted with cuttings of Kalimna 3C Shiraz clone from one of Penfolds’ famous Grange vineyards in 1994 and the first wines were released in 1997.

For four generation the Pfeiffer family have been growing grapes, from Albert Heinrich Pfeiffer in the Riverland region of South Australia to Sam Pfeiffer who took over from his parents Martin and Sally in 2020. It was Martin, who ran Penfold’s vineyards, who established Whistler by buying the Heysen estate in 1982 and, planting Kalimna 3C shiraz clone cuttings from Penfold’s world famous ‘Grange’ vineyards, along with semillon. 1997 saw the first wines and the 2000s saw a number of prestigious prizes come their way. The adoption of organic and biodynamic methods began in 2013 and in 2020, on the retirement of Martin and Sally, their son Sam has taken over the running of the business.

Winemaker Michael J. Corbett has excellent experience to bring to bear, having worked in 26 vintages across 13 regions in France, New Zealand, the US and Australia, with some prestigious names on his CV. Each wine is dependent on the hard work done in the vineyard and is vinified in its own way, sometimes with food treading, varying ferments and vessels, and with not fining or filtration of any wine. This small family winery is most definitely worth watching, or better still tasting.

Environmental sustainability
Taking over responsibility for the estate on his parents’ retirement, Sam Pfeiffer continued the organic and biodynamic practices used by his parents. In his words, ‘we haven’t used a herbicide or pesticide on our patch of dirt since 2013.’ The installation of a large solar panel system on top of their barrel storage shed allows them to create their own power and eventually they will be able to give power back to the grid. Water use is a hot topic in Australia and Whistler have recently decided to install rainwater storage capacity of close to 50,000 litres, which will make the winery self-sufficient, with no need to take water from the Murray River.

Social sustainability
Whistler stress that their operations are an important part of the local community. They also acknowledge the role of the traditional holders of the land: ‘We acknowledge and pay respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.’

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