The Elder | Fortified Shiraz

Elder [Eld-er] noun: an influential leader or senior figure in a tribe. Mr. Riggs Fortified Shiraz makes you sit up and pay attention, just how Bens Father liked it. His Father was born in 1926 and held true the old-school values of autocracy and leadership. He was stubborn and opinionated, but Ben respected him immensely. His early passing instilled in Ben a sense of 'living every day to the fullest.'
The provenance of the grapes is from Ben's own Piebald Gully in Clarendon, sub-region of McLaren Vale. The fruit was crushed to an open fermenter, then fortified on skins, which halts fermentation and extracts striking colour and tannin. This Fortified Shiraz has Ben Riggs' father's backbone - solid, structured and present. It has style and elegance, like the great ports of the world. The wine is framed by its complex perfume driven by spicy, cool climate Shiraz, and aged low strength brandy spirit used in the fortification.