Dutschke - Barossa Valley - Willowbend

2011 WillowBend

Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot

WillowBend is where it all started for us. Way back in 1990, Ken and I put our first red blend of Shiraz, Merlot, and Cabernet together and packaged it under what was then our WillowBend brand. In 1998 we changed the brand to "Dutschke" but WillowBend has continued on as our blended red wine.

Our idea has always been to produce a consistently full and flavoursome wine by blending the varieties that perform best on our St. Jakobi family vineyard, the property purchased by my grandfather Oscar Semmler in the 1930s.

The Shiraz (55%), Cabernet (35%) and Merlot (10%) come together to provide a round, soft, red berry fruit palate, with fine oak and fruit tannin support that allows the 2011 WillowBend to be enjoyed as a younger wine, but also has the structure needed for medium to long term cellaring.

After years in the bottle our older WillowBend blends have shown to develop complex characters while still maintaining their fresh fruit flavours. WillowBend is typically a great wine to drink now, but will also benefit further by lying it down for a few years.

We trust you'll enjoy it!