Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby in color. The nose offers spicy notes of pepper, aniseed and marzipan alongside dark fruit and a touch of flint. Red and purple fruits lead the way on the palate, followed by black olive, mocha and a touch of licorice. The finish supports with fine-grained, chalky tannins.
Blend: 95% Shiraz, 5% Grenache
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This 2020 Basket Pressed Shiraz shows the concentration and vitality that the warm 2020 brought with it. Despite all the plump, voluminous fruit generosity, this is possessed of a savory line of tannin through the palate, stitched together by briny acidity. Solid and good. Best After 2022
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James Suckling
Dark plums, minty blackberries and roasted thyme on the nose. Slightly overripe blue-fruit character. Medium-bodied with plush tannins. Spicy, with a fine-grained texture and a saline finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
A traditional-style McLaren Shiraz from one of the region’s most historic producers, this comprises ripe, almost raisiny, plum and dark berry fruit, a chocolaty, toasty oak component and secondary characters like mint and licorice. The palate is equally fruit focused but the oak is better tucked here, with powerful, chalky, spicy tannins and lifted acidity.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.