Best Vintage in 25 Years - Tim Smith Wines, Barossa Valley.
Announcement posted by Tim Smith Wines 28 May 2012
If vibe has anything to do with it, this certainly will be the vintage of all vintages. Tim Smith, steps out of the new Home of the Brave winery, nodding and beaming his wide, child-like grin. He is also proudly wearing his Smith & Wesson hardhat; adhering to OH&S, he explains whilst drawing our attention to a Captain America hardhat on the bench behind him. Music is blaring.
Winemaker, Tim Smith, has been working day and night on this ‘best ever, 2012 vintage’ at the brand-new ‘Home of the Brave’ winemaking facility in Nuriootpa.
Overriding the usual winery smells is the distinctly moorish fragrance of roast pork; in fact, it’s pig on the spit. This is the new winery fondly named ‘Home of the Brave’; home of First Drop and Tim Smith Wines. And they’ve had a constant stream of winery workers knocking on their door, as word has it; is THE place to be.
“This is the best vintage I’ve ever seen in the Barossa; I’m pumped.” Tim declares. To top it off, 2012 is a milestone 10th vintage for Tim Smith Wines.
The Barossa Valley had no extended periods of extreme heat this vintage. It was consistently warm through to late February and the baume raised quickly, then a little rain and one downpour slowed ripening for ten days. As if planned, this followed by an unseasonably dry and warm finish which allowed vines to replenish sugar levels and tannins in perfect timing for harvest. Variations in ripening across individual vineyards demanded vigilant attention from winemakers and resulted in most vineyards being picked in two, and sometimes three, passes. This will neatly reinforce vineyard variation or ‘terroir’ if you like. Tim Smith believes that we are also likely to see slightly lower alcohol levels from 2012; always a topic of debate with regard to wines from the Barossa Valley.
Tim Smith is a self-proclaimed Barossa adorer. He has been winemaking in the Barossa & Eden Valley for two decades and he has established relationships with growers of the region’s best grapes. Quietly sourcing exceptional fruit is a fine-tuned skill that Smith has mastered and, combined with his winemaking prowess, means this small brand is soaring.
ENDS.