Due to the wet 2011, a portion of fruit from McLaren Vale (18%) was added to the Adelaide Hills fruit to bolster the end result and this has worked to very good effect.
All fruit is handpicked and spent time in 100% old American oak.
Was I making things up when I thought there was a taste of cherry in there? Preconceived ideas from the label perhaps? Nah. No way!
Bright, vibrant and uplifting aromatics. Unmistakable cherry sits in the background, black pepper corns, juicy fruit, some sweetness from the American oak and an ever so slight taste of lavender.
The fruit slips through to the back palate and some firmish acid ensures this wine will cellar well through the medium term. The longer the wine was open the more depth it delivered with plums and lots of berry fruit highlights.
Being open for four days, the wine was still drinking solidly. The dense flavours of the McLaren Vale fruit came to the fore on days three and four. Finishing with dusty tannins, there was certainly plenty going on with this drop.
A most enjoyable wine priced very well at $20. Available at numerous bottle shops and restaurants in most states. Check the website for availability.
What: Shiraz (14.5% alc)
Where: Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale
When: 2011
How: $20
www.mainandcherry.com.au
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