ANCIENT EARTH SHIRAZ 2013

Appearance: Deep purple/black

Nose: The bouquet is fragrant with spicy fruit, and shows notes of raspberry. You will find a hint of toast from French oak barriques.

Palate: On the palate, the wine is rich & spicy with chocolatey depth. Once again, there is toast and spice from oak; lingering blackberry fruit with pleasantly gritty tannins.

Food Pairing: Garlic butter roast portobello mushrooms with polenta, or Herb-crusted top loin beef roast with all the sides.

About the wine: McLaren Vale has some of the most variable, ancient and weathered soils on the planet. 19 different soil types have been identified in one of the most detailed soil studies carried out in any wine region. It is for this reason behind the name ‘Ancient Earth’. It is a single-vineyard Shiraz from the beautiful sweep of vines immediately to the south of our Cellar Door; aptly named ‘Cellar Vineyard’. So what’s special about the earth? The earth is known locally as ‘Biscay soil’. It is also referred to as ‘selfmulching black cracking clay’ and these soils have unique properties. Slow to wet, they can tightly hold a large volumes of water. Unfortunately the soil is not so generous in giving the vines access to this moisture so in heatwave conditions the vines can stress quite quickly. On the other hand, correctly managed, the resulting wine can be quite magnificent. Shiraz thrives here and can produce fruit with great fragrance and power, but a structure which guarantees ageing potential.

Country: McLaren Vale, Australia

Grape Variety: Shiraz

ABV: 15%