INSTINCT from TWO HANDS WINES EDITION 01 IT STILL FEELS LIKE the STORY IS ONLY JUST BEGINNING
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INSTINCT from TWO HANDS WINES EDITION 01 IT STILL FEELS LIKE THE STORY IS ONLY JUST BEGINNING... MICHAEL TWELFTREE IN THIS EDITION 04 FUTURE PROOF 06 SINGLED OUT 08 CELLAR DOOR 10 DISCOVER VINTAGE 2015 12 13 TASTE 14 THE WINE CLUB 15 CHARITABLE PROJECTS THE JOURNEY Fifteen years after starting Two My commitment is to deliver to how the wine reaches the Hands with just a few tonnes of consistent quality in the winery, consumer are all taken with great fruit in the 2000 vintage, I am carefully crafting wines that can be care and with a drive to continually extremely proud of what we have cellared and aged for enjoyment in improve every day. This doesn’t feel created in that short time. the years to come. Looking back like a job to our team, winemaking recently at the earliest vintages we is our passion and we are connected Like every new business, we have made, I know we got it right and it personally with every bottle. faced hurdles through the early reinforces my belief that wines years, but each challenge has For me, it still feels like the story should develop with time and show defined us and made us stronger is only just beginning, and as we their quality from youth into older at each step of the way. embark on this next chapter of age – that is the mark of a great wine. developing the Two Hands estate, My focus now is on the long game, Two Hands’ success hasn’t come by I sincerely hope you will join us on by building a business that is chance though; decisions from site the journey and become part of the sustainable, and making decisions research, vineyard preparation, future adventure as a friend and for the next 30 to 50 years that will planting, growing, pruning, picking, supporter. take us on the path to being one of winemaking, barrel selection, the great wine estates of the world. maturation, classification, MICHAEL TWELFTREE, PROPRIETOR packaging, storage and right through & MANAGING DIRECTOR 03 Holy Grail Vineyard, Seppeltsfield Road, Seppeltsfield South Australi trellis installation. As we head into early September 2016, the mammoth task of vine planting will begin, with a grand total of 60,000 vines to be planted on our new site over two years. Once fully developed, Securing Two Hands’ holdings will move to 120 acres under vine in the Western our fruit for Ranges, plenty to keep my hands full. the future FUTURE PROOF As well as the new development, the current Two Hands estate vineyards are growing at a promising rate. From At Two Hands Wines, a key part After extensive soil studies and South Australia in the late 1990s and Kraehe House Block in Marananga to of our journey is the further viticultural research, plans are well early 2000s. The site also lends itself Coach House Block in Greenock, the underway for turning this property development of our own estate to other varieties and space has been yield for next vintage is looking as into one of the iconic vineyards of vineyards. set aside for small sections of Cabernet strong and consistent as we’ve seen in the Barossa. Nothing from here is Sauvignon, Grenache and Mourvèdre, A chance conversation last year the Barossa for a few years. Growing being left to chance. to complement our portfolio. provided Michael with the the highest quality grapes, we would expect our estate vineyards to crop to opportunity to consolidate Two With a vast array of soil depths a relatively low figure of 2.5 tonnes Hands’ vineyard holdings on and types through the site, careful consideration has been placed on of fruit per acre, but we have fallen Seppeltsfield Road, taking us to 900m THE HOLY GRAIL selecting a diversified range of well short of this in recent years on of frontage along the gateway to the Shiraz clones to optimise viticultural VINEYARD IS A the back of lower winter rains and Western Ranges of the Barossa Valley. development across the property. VITICULTURIST’S warmer growing seasons. The most recent addition to our Through the depths of winter 2015, The combination of our existing estate, the ‘Holy Grail’ vineyard, is the Two Hands winery team were DREAM blocks and new developments a viticulturist’s dream: 15 acres of out with snips in hand, taking provides a fascinating contrast and 18 year old Shiraz, adjoining our 40,000 cuttings from some of the will provide an enormous source of existing 70 acre block which is ready great vineyards in the Barossa, Clare For now the focus is on the growing fruit styles for the winemaking team for planting from 2016. With its rich and Eden Valley regions. The clonal season in our existing vineyards, but to work with as the vines mature red-brown earth, strong clonal diversity will create interest on after vintage 2016 is when the real fun over the years ahead. Exciting times selection and eastern sloping aspect, the palate too once the vines reach begins. Various activities will enter indeed. we’ve already seen some huge maturity, designed to set us apart into full swing, with deep ripping of potential in the wines from our first from the commonplace 1654 clone the vine rows to prepare the soils for TRAVIS COOMBE, VITICULTURE harvest in 2015, even at this early age. that was so widely planted across planting, as well as irrigation and MANAGER 04 ESTATE VINEYARD SPOTLIGHT: BRANSON COACH HOUSE The Coach House vineyard was the first estate vineyard purchased by Two Hands back + in 2002. Located just outside the small village of Greenock in the rolling Western Ranges of the Barossa Valley, this is arguably some of the best viticultural land in the Barossa. The vineyard was first planted in the early to mid 1990s and now at 20 years of age, Q A the Shiraz vines are really starting to reach maturity. TRAVIS COOMBE VITICULTURE MANAGER Situated at 260m above sea level, the vines have their roots dug into classic Greenock red-brown earth which is high iron rich soil with a high clay content over a base geology Where did your love of viticulture come from? of limestone and sandstone. The wine produced from this site is always rich in fruit I started in the horticultural industry in my late teens, showing shades of blackberry with tannins that are regal and firm. working on an almond and onion farm along the river at Swan Reach. I moved back to the Barossa Historically this wine was labelled under its own estate bottling called Branson Coach Valley in 2001 and started working for Henschke House Block. In 2006, this became part of the Two Hands portfolio with its very own wines as a grape picker. I continued working for Single Vineyard wine. Since then Coach House Block has been the backbone of this series. Henschke and worked my way up to be a Vineyard Manager. In this role I looked after 80 hectares including the Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone vineyards in the Eden Valley wine region before the opportunity came to move to the other side of the valley and work on a new challenge in the Western Ranges with Two Hands. What are the most exciting challenges that lie ahead? After vintage 2016, Two Hands Wines will be developing our newest vineyard site at Seppeltsfield. I love seeing a plot of land with great dirt turn into a producing vineyard, nurturing it through its early years of growth and seeing it fulfil its potential. It’s tough all-consuming work to start with, but the reward is the incredible satisfaction that you’ve created something for future generations to enjoy. And your favourite Two Hands moment? My favourite thing about working here is the dedicated team that I work with every day. We all have the same goal, to help build Two Hands Wines for the future. Plus the Thursday staff lunches are pretty good as well! Coach House Vineyard, Seppeltsfield Road, Greenock South Australia 05 SINGLED Exploring the source of the Single OUT Vineyard Series We’ve been strong proponents of intervention all need to be considered wines in situ. One thing is for sure,all regionality since the early days at – but there’s enough in that alone the wines are completely unique and 2014 SINGLE VINEYARD SERIES Two Hands, showcasing how that tells us the Barossa’s Western let their personality shine through. $100/bottle, available from Cellar Door from February 2016 different the Shiraz grape can be Ranges have something completely The release of the 2014s marks the through the six wines and six different going on. That’s why the Yacca Block Shiraz 10th vintage of the series; what regions of the Garden Series. Single Vineyard Series exists at Two Mengler Hill Road, Eden Valley started out with one wine in 2005 Hands, we’re taking regionality to (limited stock available) And yet, within the Barossa Valley for has evolved to include six distinct the next level. Heartbreak Hill Shiraz instance, we’ve always tended to the Shiraz wines each with their own Roach Road, White Hut, Clare Valley rolling hills of the Western Ranges Admirably, there are moves with the X-factor and each displaying its sense Secret Block Shiraz for our fruit sources; the flavours, the Barossa Grounds project to define of place. Sadly, with the finite aromatics; the tannins have always vineyard sources, at times volumes Wildlife Road, Moppa Hills, sub-regions and create deeper Barossa Valley (limited stock available) shown more complexity than seen identities between the parishes – we are as scarce as just a few barrels, and Wazza’s Block Shiraz through the valley floor.