Angove Wild Olive McLaren Vale Shiraz 2020 (Australia)

Description

• French oak
• Satsuma plum
• Blackberries
• Clove

This Australian Shiraz is an intense brooding purple in colour with aromas of blackberry and satsuma plum followed by peppery spice. On the palate, cherry, blackberry, liquorice and clove with deft oak and a hint of pepper.

Sustainable organic management of their vineyards includes under-vine mulching to enrich the soil and increase carbon content, manual removal of weeds, no synthetic herbicide and fungicide use and zero artificial inputs. This ensures vines with greater balance, fruit flavour concentration and better overall vineyard biodiversity and health.

Good winter rainfall was followed by a mild start to spring. Cool conditions during flowering season caused poor fruit set in many varieties which greatly affected the yield in their vineyards. A cool, wetter than average January meant veraison was slow, but the prolonged ripening period saw exceptional flavour development. Yields were down but quality across all sites was exceptional with harvest starting in late February and continuing on into early March. The 2020 Wild Olive Shiraz grapes were hand picked from their Warboys Organic Vineyard and a long term grower. Warboys provides the powerful base for the wine with the growers fruit contributing elegance and finesse.

This hand crafted wine has been made in the Angove small batch winery. After being gently destemmed, the largely whole berries were cold soaked for three days before being allowed to slowly warm with the fermentation initiated by the wild yeast of the winery and then pumped over twice daily to coax colour, flavour and tannin. Once dry the finished ferment was basket pressed with the free run and pressing fraction kept separate. Maturation for 12 month in seasoned French oak preceded a careful barrel selection and blending process with minimal fining and filtration prior to bottling.

Food Pairing: A perfect match to French inspired food such as organic Beef Bourguignon.