Angove McLaren Vale Shiraz 2023 (Australia)

Description

Cherry, Chocolate, Oak

Intense purple with rich magenta hues. Black cherry, dark chocolate and spice aromas predominate. Intense chocolate and liquorice characters fill the mouth whilst lingering 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 subregions in the North to the cooler Clarendon area bordering the Adelaide Hills. 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. Good winter rains filled the soil profile in readiness for spring. Continued wet and cold conditions throughout spring delayed budburst and resulted in slower shoot growth. Spring rainfall was higher than the normal winter average and resulted in increased disease pressure and inflorescence loss, some varieties being more affected than others. Flowering occurred in late November and weather was mostly cool, wet, windy and cloudy adversely impacting on fruit set and reducing overall yields. Fortunately the sun eventually came out and we were able to ripen the modest crop to peak physiological and flavour levels and harvest began in late February and continued into early April.

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 to extract the full spectrum of flavour and colour were followed by short post fermentation maceration. The finished ferments were pressed separately using a gentle 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.