Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby color. Perfumed notes of rose petal, musk, and dried herbs with a whiff of charcuterie lingering in the background. Bright berry fruit flavors, cacao and black olive. Followed by slowly building fine-textured tannins providing excellent length. An elegant and classy Block 6 Shiraz.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Kay Brothers was established in 1890 and is the oldest family-owned McLaren Vale winery. The grapes for this single-vineyard Shiraz were grown on 128-year-old vines and matured for 20 months in 35% new French and American oak puncheons. A low 13.5% ABV keeps its tremendous power in check with insistent, teeth-grabbing plum-skin tannins.
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Australian Wine Companion
This release represents a profound change at this address from a culture of rich wines hewn of old vines and traditional winemaking, at least in an Australian sense, to one of earlier harvesting and a grasp for freshness. Sure, the ancient vines remain. Yet despite the palpable intensity and drive, there is a twiggy dryness, a paucity of amplitude and a generosity that is synergistic with an early harvest window. Olive and dark fruits, sure. Time may bestow further beauty.
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James Suckling
This release represents a significant change at this address from a culture of rich wines from old vines and traditional winemaking, at least in an Australian sense, to one of earlier harvesting and a grasp for freshness. Sure, the ancient vines remain. Yet despite the palpable intensity and drive, there is a twiggy dryness, a paucity of amplitude and a generosity that is synergistic with an early harvest window. Olive and dark fruits, sure. Time may bestow further beauty. I score with the benefit of the doubt in mind. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
So, this 2020 Block 6 Shiraz features fruit handpicked from 128-year-old vines. Aromatically, the oak plays a major role in the wine, which is a character that plays out in the mouth, as well. The fruit could be exceptional; in fact, based on previous vintages I have tasted, I believe it is. However, here it is (both the palate and finish) obscured by high-char oak, and I find that a great shame. The tannins are lovely but largely oak-derived, in that they are gritty and grainy through the finish. There could be a lot to love about this wine, but for me, today, the oak is too much of a feature. The fruit may emerge victorious, as there is concentration there. 13% alcohol.
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Wine Spectator
A spicy, stylish mix of smoked paprika, cumin and clove notes mingles with black cherry, huckleberry and black licorice accents. The tannins are dense and firm, but there's a note of polished felt. Drink now through 2038. 2,000 cases made, 400 cases imported.
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.