Reserve Shiraz 2019

Please make up your order in multiples of 2, 6 or 12 bottles to make sure they ship safely. Mixed packs of different wines are welcome.

Blend
Shiraz (98%) Viognier (2%), CANBERRA DISTRICT

Season
The growing season leading up to the 2019 harvest was generally temperate, with dry and warm weather over summer serving to create near-perfect conditions for Canberra District shiraz. Very modest yields in 2019 produced grapes with well-ripened tannin and pristine flavours.

Viticulture
Made from mature shiraz vines grown on elevated granitic loam sites near Murrumbateman.

Winemaking
The grapes were hand-harvested at approx. 13 Baumé. Fermentation with around 40% whole bunches took place in open fermenters which were worked by foot and rack/return. Individual parcels were matured in a mix of new and seasoned Allier and Tronçais oak. Blending and bottling took place in July 2020.

Taste
The 2019 Reserve is beautifully ripe, and combines the intensity and vibrancy of the vintage with the spice, perfume and elegant structure that these vineyards consistently give.  Showing plenty of youthful charm now, this wine will be at its best at between five to thirty years of age. 

Praise for the 2019:

"This is a wine that reflects place as much as the winemaker, the thoughtful, quietly spoken Alex McKay. There’s a lot in this wine but it starts gently with heady aromas all floral and spicy, the dark fruit comes in next, the spice notes and cedary oak. Fuller bodied with plush tannins and ribbons of acidity moving through the palate. It’s gorgeous now but will reward even more in time. 96pts" - Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion

Praise for the 2018:

"A pristine and captivating shiraz from every angle. While it appears delicate, with florals and red fruits interspersed with woodsy spices and a whisper of pepper, it's all about refinement. It is also wonderfully savoury. A medium-bodied palate, juicy, with a unison between superfine raw silk tannins and acidity. Complex, compelling and utterly delicious at the same time. 95 points." - Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion

"A weapon of mass seduction, this is a very smooth wine in every respect. The complexity is deeply integrated, wrapped around a heart of black-cherry and plum-fruit aromas and flavors. There's an edge of graphite here as well as earthy, spicy and lightly dusted notes that are bathed in pepper. The texture is the thing though. Polished, playful and delicious. 96 points. " - James Suckling

"A beautiful shiraz: rich, deep, ripe and concentrated - within the elegant Canberra paradigm. Dense, full-bodied palate. Bright berries and mint, deep and plush, with fleshy extract aplenty and supple tannins providing a rounded mouth-feel. Already a delicious drink. 95 points." - Huon Hooke, The Real Review

"This is of a bouncier feel than is usual for this cuvee, optimally ripe and threaded with a fine needle of the pepper and ground spice that mark fine, cool climate Australian shiraz. Star anise and clove waft across a wave of dark cherry and blue fruited allusions, all. Gently aromatic, with 2% of viognier in the blend, the wine is medium-bodied, uncoiling its multitude of layers with time in the glass. The finish is granitic crunchy, firm, long and soothing, with the tannins and spice sheathing and guiding the fruit, but never drying it out. 95 points." - Ned Goodwin, Halliday Wine Companion

Key recognition for the Reserve Shiraz: Gold Medal, 2014 National Wine Show (2013 vintage); four trophies, including Best Red of Show, 2015 Canberra and Region Wine Show (2013 vintage); 96pts Halliday Wine Companion (2011 and 2009 vintages); Best Red Wine of Show and James Busby Annual Prize, 2010 Sydney Royal Wine Show (2008 vintage), and more.