2022 Shy Susan Shiraz

**New Shy Susan Wines and new vintages released with the next Shy Susan Wine Club annually in September (ONE 6 pack per year)!

“Shy Susan (Tetratheca gunnii) is a critically endangered Australian wildflower. Her survival depends completely on a little native bee, who alone is capable of pollination. Their fate is forever entwined”.

After working with Tasmanian fruit for nearly two decades Glenn James with his wife, Jo Marsh began crafting wines under their newly created Shy Susan label in 2015. The couple lived in Porepunkah in the Alpine Valleys region and Glenn commuted to Tasmania weekly for his role as Chief Winemaker at Winemaking Tasmania. When Jo fell pregnant in late 2019 Glenn made the decision to leave his role and work fulltime with Jo in the Alpine Valleys. Having many years to experience the quality of fruit the Alpine Valleys had to offer they decided to continue the Shy Susan brand with local fruit. Select small parcels of fruit are crafted to reflect variety, vineyard and the stylistic approach forged from Glenn’s skill and experience.

Production Notes

Fruit was crushed and destemmed into small open top fermenters and inoculated with selected yeast.  The blend is made up of two barrels, one of which was a barrel ferment where the must of pressed out before primary fermentation was complete. The blend includes 50% whole bunch. One batch was pressed off before primary fermentation was complete directly to barrel for fermentation.

Tasting Note

Cool climate elegance – black fruited with savoury earthy undertones. 

Dense black fruits and an exotic, spicy and fragrant mix of black pepper, aniseed, cardamon and earth. The palate is coiled and expressive, with wonderful depth of flavour, a dense weave of tannin and a long finish. This wine will continue to develop and is one for the cellar if you can hold onto it.

Optimal Drink Window – now until 2035

Technical details

Reviews

"Off the Conmara Vineyard, 50% whole bunch, 50% new oak. Shy Susan, an endangered Australian wildflower, is sibling to fellow native and bearer of the winery name, Billy Button. There's a lot to like here. Deep and expressive, it shows both cool climate class in lifted layers of penetrating spices and, at the same time, there is a charming generosity. Solid in colour with black fruits, Middle Eastern spices, black pepper, earth and tarry accents, blackstrap liquorice and woody oak strewn across a study tannin base. It's early days, but, wow, it has a big future ahead." Awarded 95 points, Halliday Wine Companion, Jeni Port - Published 13 February 2025

"This wine saw 50% whole bunches and 50% new oak.

There’s so much polish and class on offer here. It has a refreshment factor too, though flavour – both smooth and complex – is the main go. It’s a smoky, meaty, cherried wine with rose petal notes in the highlights, drives of ripe plum, lifts of peppermint and a general, appealing creaminess. Every inch of this wine feels immaculate." 94 points. Campbell Mattinson 25 September 2025