[SOLD-OUT] SC Pannell Koomilya Shiraz 2014

Wine Front 96 points!
“Steve first walked into an old 30-acre vineyard in McLaren Vale in 1994 and immediately fell in love with it; a few years ago he managed to purchase it. The wines from the property – on Amery Road, surrounded by native bush – will be released under the Koomilya name. The wine reviewed here comes from three blocks, one planted in 1970 (to gewürztraminer, then grafted to shiraz in the early 1990s), the other two planted in the early 2000s. So they’re not particularly old vines but they are mature, and they grow on a particularly fine site. This wine went into all large-format French oak. 852 dozen were made.

It’s an interesting wine. Different, in a good way. It’s rich, sweet and porty in some ways; it’s very McLaren Vale. But then it’s dry, meaty, ferrous and earthen in others; the back label uses the words “Dry Red”, and it’s like the definitive version of those words. It’s a hulking wine, strapped with liquorice, firmly tannic, tense and taut but powerful and dense. It feels old-fashioned but not in a dirty way; in demeanour. If anyone ever says to you that They Don’t Make Things The Way They Used To, get them to taste this wine. It’s built to last. You’ll wear out before it does; your grandchildren will be swapping it around at collector’s meets in 100 years time. ”
Campnbell Mattinson, Wine Front, October 2016

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"In Pannell's words, "Too many wines just look like winemaking, like dogs start to look like their owners." Pannell's mission with these wines is to employ as "hands off" an approach as possible so that the wine is made in the vineyard not the winery. His goal is to hark back to a style of wines we made in the 1950s or 60s. No irrigation, picked at a lower ripeness and matured in large vats so that the McLaren Vale site is celebrated.

This Shiraz is one vintage younger than the DC Block, hailing from the excellent 2014 vintage. It is blended from three of the Koomilya property's Shiraz blocks. Varying vine age, clone and cuttings all contribute to a wine of depth, unique character and complexity. As with the DC Block above, this Shiraz is made in a very gentle way. These wines have a beautiful,fine texture that scream quality.

This is an exceptional expression of McLaren Vale Shiraz, with meaty/charcuterie notes backing the generous red fruit, Christmas cake spice with hints of turkish delight. Gentle but concentrated, medium plus palate weight and rich with substance. This is a wine with poise, balance and a silky, elegant texture."

Wine House

Country:

Australia

Region:

SA- McLaren Vale

Variety:

Wine Red - Shiraz

Size:

750mL