2023 Shiraz
From a cool, late season in McLaren Vale, with enough rain at the right time to allow the old, dry grown vines to flourish. The vineyard signature of silky mid-palate with long, mineral tannins is clear here, as is the depth of flavour of fruit from old, well-balanced vines and moderate crop levels. There is light and shade on the palate – driven by pretty red fruit, inset with smatterings of richer blue fruit. Bright acidity and lifted florals bring a delicate filagree to what is a structured wine.
"The third year, and a notably long and cool season. The process here, in general, is fermentation in concrete and oak with a portion of whole bunch, though mostly destemmed, then élevage in older, larger French oak. There’s a little reduction up front but that settles, revealing a moodily scented wine, saline with blackberry pastille, olive, ground cacao nibs, violet and lavender, black cherry, star anise, clove, pepper and mace. It’s a complex wine, more medium in stature, with significant Rhône echoes. Saint-Joseph comes to mind, but this is a wine of site and there’s nothing imitative about the elaboration. Another excellent release; maybe less intense than the '22, but just so detailed."
97 POINTS,
Halliday Wine Companion, Marcus Ellis
"The accompanying wine notes tell of the latest and coolest vintage yet for this vineyard, but the upshot was a wide picking window combined with small, bunches and intense fruit flavours. The result is an absolute stunner of a wine, boasting a layer of what can only – and perhaps a little too lazily – be described as cool climate-inspired spiciness. It’s more inherent than a flat-out feature and to be fair was present in the ’22 release, one ingredient in a complex range of scents and flavours that take in black cherry, plum, cassis with lifted aromatics in rose and pressed flowers and dusty cacao, bitter chocolate and, yes, spices with anise and pepper in the lead. Fruit, oak, tannins and spice are packed tight, an intense youngster that will age a beaut. In the meantime, it’s bright, it dances, it weaves, it’s a seamless engaging young Shiraz of the highest quality."
97 POINTS
Jeni Port, The Wine Pilot
Also available in Magnum format (1500ml), in the following vintages: