The Chris Ringland Dry Grown Barossa Ranges Shiraz, originally Three Rivers, is a modern classic representing the best of Barossa terroir, early 20th-century vine stock, Australian inventiveness and modern winemaking practices.
The north-east facing vineyard, located on the corner of Flaxmans Valley Road and Stone Chimney Creek Road, was established by Thomas Randall in 1910. It was acquired in 1994 by winemaker Chris Ringland who gradually restored the vineyard.
The soils are shallow and skeletal, with granitic sandy loams over underlying clay and moisture-holding podzols. The dry-grown low-yielding vines, on their own roots, are pruned hard and expected to adapt to the growing season. As a consequence the postage stamp-sized vineyard, at only 1.5 hectares, is renowned for its unusually thick‑skinned shiraz. Deep in colour, exquisitely concentrated and laden with tannins, the fruit character exemplifies the enduring quality of pre-phylloxera vine stock.