Description
Ben Kurtz planted his original vineyard in the hamlet of Light Pass in the 1930s. In 1957 his son Otto took over working the vineyard, and its vines are still in production today. As the eldest son of Otto, John Kurtz went off and found his own land to continue his family’s tradition of grape growing. In 1961, together with his wife Erril, John purchased a 16 hectare property, also at Light Pass, in the heart of the Barossa.
On 20th July 1969 mankind took its ‘one giant leap’ and 650 million people watched as Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon. On the same day, John and Erril purchased an additional block that adjoined their vineyard on Stockwell Road. In honour of the moon landing, Erril named it ‘Lunar Block’ and to this day it still proudly bears the name. Replanted to Shiraz later that year, the Lunar Block vines now represent the oldest on the property.
The son of John and Erril, current custodian Steve Kurtz established Kurtz Family Vineyards in 1997, producing the first vintage of the flagship Lunar Block Shiraz in 1999.
Tasting Notes
Vineyard: Sourced entirely from the original 1969 Lunar Block Shiraz plantings. The block’s unique microclimate boasts a mix of ironstone, limestone and orange-red clay soils on a gently sloping, north-west facing hillside. Evening gully breezes provide a cooling effect during summer, allowing the distinctive fruit flavours to fully develop without overripening. Low cropping and minimal irrigation create perfect vine balance, ensuring excellent colour, structure, and concentrated varietal character.
Vintage: Relatively good rainfall in Winter and Spring of 2022 saw excellent soil moisture levels and ensured a good growing season leading into Vintage 2023. Summer was dry and sunny with average temperatures and importantly no heat spikes. Vines developed large canopies that were somewhat shaded and led to later veraison and ripening period.
Winemaking: Matured for 27 months in new French oak hogsheads.
Technical Analysis:
Alcohol: 14.5%
pH: 3.55
Acidity: 6.3 g/L
Colour: Deep purple with rich crimson hues.
Nose: Black fruits, mint and thyme dominate the nose, with hints of chocolate, tar and leather. A herbal sage lift and fine, savoury oak add further layers of complexity.
Palate: Medium bodied and richly textured, with concentrated, spicy fruit. Plush, complex flavours of herbs, allspice, black olive, raspberry, dark chocolate and mocha are balanced with fresh acidity and fine, gravelly tannins that provide a defined structural line, a lovely silky mouthfeel and great length of flavour. The tannins seem to lengthen the longer you leave the wine in your mouth.
Peak Drinking: Cellaring potential to 2035. I highly recommend that this wine be decanted prior to serving.
Food Match: Lunar Block Shiraz is a great match with grilled, pan-fried or roasted meats, and other full flavoured dishes.
