2021 Invenienda Shiraz (3-pack)

COLOUR | Deep rich purple in colour with a slight red hue.

AROMA | An explosive bouquet of strawberry, rhubarb, clove, blood plum, mint, herb, cut flower, rosemary and leather. There is a lot going on here and every time you lift the wine to your nose, new aromas slowly emerge.

PALATE | The palate starts out dense and flavour filled, with blackcurrant, soy, tapenade, liquorice and mocha. Every element here works in perfect harmony which makes the fruit disappear across the palate effortlessly and seamlessly, the bright acidity drives the dense fruit profile.

AGING POTETIAL | We selected the prestigious Saverglass 1855 bottle, inspired by the iconic shape used for the historic 1855 Bordeaux Classification, as a fitting vessel for this special wine. Each bottle is sealed with a Diam 30 closure, providing confidence for up to 30 years of cellaring.

The 2021 vintage delivered near perfect conditions. Strong winter and spring rainfall built healthy soil moisture, while a mild growing season with only one day above 40°C allowed for slow, even ripening. Small to moderate berries brought natural concentration, while a timely late February rain helped the vines finish with balance and composure. The fruit showed purity, structure and finesse, making it a clear standout for Invenienda. With careful barrel selection over time, the 2021 release captures the precision of The Clos and the quiet confidence of an exceptional Barossa season.

‘The Clos’ is one of the last blocks to be picked at the Holy Grail vineyard each season. The bunches are handpicked into small 20kg crates and placed in our refrigerated container for one day, to allow the fruit to cool down and control the start of fermentation. Head Winemaker Richard Langford had a number of small timber fermenters custom-crafted for Invenienda, to ensure a slow fermentation over 10 to 14 days. Once ferment is nearing completion, the skins are submerged with barrel heads and then sealed for a further 10 weeks, so the must can macerate and intensify the flavour. Richard and his team drain the free-run juice from the fermenters and the skins are pressed. The wine is then aged in fine-grained French oak sur lees for 16 months before bottling. The quality of fruit in the vineyard and care and attention to detail throughout the winemaking process means that the finished wine does not require fining and or filtering.

Invenienda is made with Shiraz sourced only from ‘The Clos’ block. The style of trellis is called ‘Sur échalas', and is all managed by hand. From bud-burst in Spring, the vines are individually tied to a 1.8-metre stake, three times throughout the Spring/Summer growing season until finally, the vines are joined together to the shape of a love heart at the top. Once the vine architecture is developed bunches of fruit are protected by a large solar panel of leaves, allowing them to achieve perfect maturity, slowly and effortlessly - think of them like a sun dial! This form of propagation is the ancient trellis system used in France’s venerated Northern Rhône Valley, where Syrah vines are planted and trained to a stake. ‘Sur échalas’ translates in English to ‘on a stake or pole’.

Wine Advocate
97 points
Erin Larkin
Published April 2025

"The 2021 Invenienda (Latin: to be discovered) is sourced from the Holy Grail vineyard in Seppeltsfield, with 1.2 acres of vines “on echalas,” or vertical stake trellising, à la Northern Rhône. From this small block, they make Invenienda. The fruit was fermented in a bespoke timber fermenter with a closed lid for 10 weeks prior to maturing in French oak for 16 months. On the nose, it is steeped in dark purple and red berries, exotic spices (primarily star anise and clove), roasted meat and sweet roasted beets. In the mouth, the cocoa tannins are very fine and yet pervasive, contributing to the powerfully thick mouthfeel of the wine. Everything is dialed up in concentration here, and the length trails out long through the finish. It's a big, powerful wine that encompasses the potential of intensity that is inherent in the ancient soils of the Barossa."