Adam Foster
Every now and then the right winemaker enters the right region at the right time. Adam Foster of Syrahmi is that winemaker, in the Heathcote region. Jasper Hill put the region on the fine wine map; Paul Osicka and now Simon Osicka are the region’s bedrock; Adam Foster dares to dream and knows how to deliver.
The rocks on the Syrahmi property are quite seriously awesome. Foster seems at home in among them. The thing about environmental portraiture – which these images are – is that the images rarely stand out. They’re not instagramable. And yet for me they are the best of images. I can honestly say that of all the images I’ve taken of wine people, these images of Foster in his landscape are the ones that I’ve returned to the most.
—
These images were taken with the Fujifilm GFX 50R camera, with a 50mm f3.5 prime. The detail is phenomenal.
—
Interestingly, in my preamble to the review of the Syrahmi Home Block High Density Shiraz 2021, I wrote:
Syrahmi’s home, high density vineyard is the most southern vineyard in the Heathcote region. It’s in the Heathcote region, but in many ways it’s more Macedon than Colbinabbin – Syrahmi is 25 kilometres from Macedon, but 75kms from Colbinabbin. Colbinnabin is a key area in the north of the Heathcote region.
So Syrahmi’s High Density vineyard is clearly at the cooler, southern end of the region. It’s also (I think) the highest altitude vineyard in the region. The High Density section of the Syrahmi Home Vineyard also has the densest vine planting in all of the region, at circa 9200 vines per hectare. It’s also planted at an unusual orientation, (to quote Adam Foster) “six degrees south of west, which encourages even ripening and helps to protect the vines from harsh winds and direct sunlight.” It’s also run organically, using Poussard pruning.
Most Heathcote shiraz grapes are picked in February and March. Syrahmi’s Home Block and Home High Density Block are picked in April.
It’s an interesting project, full stop, but it’s especially so given that the setting is a vineyard or a property saturated with granite boulders.
