THE NAME
“Approx. 14 months after vintage, Scott and I undertake a blind tasting to select the barrels from our McLaren Vale vineyards that make the grade for our Reserve Shiraz. These barrels are blended together in tank then returned to a variety of new and seasoned American and French oak hogsheads for additional maturation prior to bottling.” - Geoff Merrill
VINTAGE INFORMATION
The lead up to the 2013 vintage in McLaren Vale was looking good with Winter rains leaving subsoil moisture levels quite high. The onset of Summer was quite mild giving way to high temperatures and virtually no rain in January and February resulting in relatively low yields for the region.
The 2013 vintage may have been light in crop, but they were very good in quality with the reds having excellent colour and flavour. The rapid and early harvesting tested many winemakers experience in juggling which vineyards to pick immediately and which grapes to keep on the vine. The results rank very highly compared against past vintages that have earned McLaren Vale its reputation.
WINEMAKERS NOTES
The colour is a dense, dark brick red with garnet hues. The aroma is a postcard from McLaren Vale Shiraz. Attractive and ambrosial, this wine is simply begging to be tasted. It is filled with complex secondary notes of earth, savoury meats and game, clove, herbs and ripe primary redcurrant and blackberry.
The palate is very well structured with defined, grippy, firm yet fine tannins. It is tensioned together by perfectly balanced acidity forming a youthful, well proportioned wine destined for a long evolution.
“Enjoy with mushroom risotto, lamb shanks, veal parmigiana, and shepherds pie.”
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Winemakers: Geoff Merrill & Scott Heidrich
Variety: Shiraz
Oak Treatment: 31 months in new (90%) and seasoned French and American oak hogsheads and puncheons.
Region: McLaren Vale
Harvest Date: March 2013
ALC: 14.5%, pH: 3.38, TA: 7.83 g/L, RS: 2.2 g/L