• French oak
• Black cherry
• Dark chocolate
• Soft tannins

Rich red with magenta hues. Black cherry, dark chocolate and spice aromas predominate. Intense chocolate and liquorice characters fill the mouth whilst the soft tannins leave you longing for more.

The ‘mediterranean’ influenced climate of McLaren Vale and ancient soils provide the ideal conditions to grow premium Shiraz. Grapes were sourced from a careful selection of low interventionist vineyards across the stunning McLaren Vale region. From Blewitt Springs and Seaview in the North through Willunga and on to Sellicks Hill in the South. This range of sites vary greatly in soil, aspect and age of vine to create a wine of complexity that reflects the true, rich character of McLaren Vale Shiraz.

McLaren Vale fared well in a very challenging vintage, mainly thanks to the moderating influence of Gulf St Vincent, reliable spring rainfall and the use of both recycled and underground water to help the vineyards cope with the warm, dry condition to the end of harvest. 2019 vintage had two extreme weather events that casued reduced yield. The first was a hailstorm in November which damaged some fruit. The second was the hottest day in 10 years when the mercury peaked at just over 46.6ºC pm January 24th – only vineyards with good canopies and subsurface moisture were able to cope – thankfully ours had both. Harvest began in the first week of March and with lower tonnages was completed in just 4 weeks. Quality is exceptional, we just wished there was quantity with yields down by up to 25%.

The Vintage House is the oldest part of our winery. Here the grapes were crushed into 70 year old open concrete vats where the fermentation is initiated by the indigenous “wild” yeasts found on the grape skins. Careful pump overs, punchdowns and short post fermentation maceration. The finished ferments were pressed separately using a restored wooden basket press and allowed to mature in new and aged French oak puncheons and hogsheads for 12-14 months before the final fun stage of assemblage and blending. The resultant wine is a synergistic sum of the various components and has been gently crafted without the use of any animal products.