SHIRAZ
We chose six separate blocks for this regional, modern Shiraz. Breakneck Creek Elliott Block (planted 1994), Sand Road Block 3 (planted 2014), Sand Road Block 1 (planted 2001), McLaren Hills Block 4 Stock (planted 2001), Hillenvale Dashwood Block (planted 2018), and Stradz Block 1, Oakley Road (planted 1990). These blocks are all in the Eastern foothills of McLaren Vale.
Our aim is for a cooler style of McLaren Vale Shiraz due to the heightened elevation and leaner, mineral soil profile of these sites, lower yielding and freshened by the maritime breezes from the Gulf St. Vincent.
Reviews of the 2022 Shiraz:
91 points, James Suckling, December 2024:
Black cherries, black beans and roasted herbs on the nose, followed by a full-bodied, fleshy and fine-tannined palate. I like the savory herb undertones to the black fruit. Drink now. Screw cap.
*Red Star Value. 93 Points, Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion, June 2024:
From the brothers Leask, who largely specialise in climate-apt grapes, this is compelling value from an old-school hero variety. It's the right balance of juicy and savoury, with black cherries, blackberry, spiced plum, white pepper, leather, anise, rocky iron notes and hardy herbs, the palate silky, underwritten by finely tuned tannins, guiding but not interrupting the flow. Very nice indeed. *Red Star Value.
90 Points, The Real Review, January 2024:
Youthful in the glass. Aromas of dark fruits, spice, dried herbs, graphite and a whiff of eucalyptus. Full flavoured, chewy and dark fruited. Plum, mulberry, spice and cedar are all at play and the tannins are firm and savory.
94 Points, The Vintage Journal Summer Wine Guide 2023:
Medium-deep crimson. Fresh blackcurrant, blackberry aromas with hints of marzipan and spice. Inky deep and sinuous with plentiful dark berry fruits, marzipan, hint ginger notes, fine al dente tannins, very good mid-palate volume and fresh long mineral notes.
Reviews of the 2021 Shiraz:
92 Points, Angus Hughson, Vinous, February 2023:
The 2021 Shiraz is a hearty expression from McLaren Vale, delivering good levels of flavor and complexity. There is an attractive impact of new leather and blackberry aromas with a nice dose of ironstone. Fleshy mulberry and olive tapenade flavors follow with satisfying density and ripe tannins on the finish.
92 Points, Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal, December 2022:
Medium deep crimson. Bush garrigue, red cherry, red liquorice, roasted walnut aromas. Supple cherry pastille, cranberry fruits, fine chalky, al dente textures and underlying roasted complexity. Drink now, keep for a while.
91 Points, Ned Goodwin MW, 2022 James Halliday Wine Companion:
Picked across a number of parcels for a panoply of varying textures and flavour profiles. Scents of dark cherry, tea tree, mint and green peppercorn. Iodine and a swab of tapenade, too. This is good drinking for the money. Flavour, poise and refreshment in spades, with a lithe tannin profile tucking in the seams for savouriness over fruit.
90 Points, Wine Advocate 2022, Erin Larkin:
This 2021 McLaren Vale Shiraz is juicy, buoyant, pure, bright and delicious. It is exactly (and I mean EXACTLY) what you look for when picking up a value Shiraz. This is a cracking little wine. It's not complex - and I'd drink it young—but it is layered with all the minerals and bouncy fruits you could want, and then some.
Reviews of the 2020 Shiraz:
93 Points, Halliday Companion 2022, Ned Goodwin:
This is very good regional Shiraz, implementing a controlled chord of reduction to constrain lilac, cracked pepper, clove, charcuterie and blue-fruit accents. Fine tension. Compelling length. The lushness of the Vale iterated almost as a cooler-climatic expression. Fine-boned tannins and savoury spice inflections. Versatile at the table.
91 points, James Suckling:
"Attractive blackcurrant aromas and hints of leaves. There's a real blue-fruit edge to this shiraz. The palate has quite a brisk, assertive feel with smoothly delivered blueberry and blackcurrant flavors."
Reviews of previous vintages:
95 points, James Halliday 2020 Wine Companion:
Oh come all ye faithful lovers of McLaren Vale shiraz. It's hard to say whether the variety or the region is the most important - and true - contributor to the depth and outright richness of this Shiraz. The tannins also ring true to the theme, leaving no doubt about its longevity.
93 points, James Halliday 2019 Wine Companion:
It delivers a solid whack of dark berried flavour. This is a sure-footed wine, well-balanced and finished, with fluid delivery of coffee cream, blackberry, plum and choc-mint flavours. From start to finish, it keeps you satisfied.
91 Points, Gary Walsh, June 2017, The Wine Front www.winefront.com.au:
Blackberry, smoky grilled meat sprinkled with pepper, a bit of purple flowers or something like that. Medium bodied, flavoursome, almost slurpy, but a bit more in it than that, with light tannin, spice and dark fruits, and a tidy finish. Lovely wine, drinking very well young. Doing a good job of it here.
90 Points, Huon Hooke, March 2017, www.huonhooke.com:
Deep red/purple colour and a ripe, concentrated, deep-fruited aroma and palate flavour. The texture is soft and easygoing. Peppery blackberry and dark plum aromas. Concentrated, rich, soft and rounded. A very smart shiraz for one so young.
