Description The AAA on the label pays homage to David Paxton’s days in the wool trade and was stamped on the best grades of wool by the Guesser. It is a vibrant blend of Shiraz (55%), Grenache (41%) and Mataro (4%) from special little pockets of the estate. The Shiraz was selected from the ‘Gateway’ and ‘Jones Block’ vineyards, renowned for producing some of the best fruit in the region. These select parcels were blended with complementary Grenache to create a wine that is engaging and approachable. Forest fruits intertwined with raw coffee beans, notes of fresh curry leaves, pine resin and balsamic, along with a feather-light touch of delicate French oak. "cherry, blackberry, dried herbs, floral and bramble. Fleshy and mouthfilling, mid-weight, crunchy red and blue fruits and cedary spice. Firm, chalky tannins and lively acidity rounds the wine out nicel" (Aaron Brasher, The Real Review), Huon Hooke, also in The Real Review adds that it has "good depth and length of flavour. Smart and ageworthy stuff."
With nearly 200 years of winemaking history, McLaren Vale is one of Australia’s oldest wine regions and today home to 177 wineries. Protected by mountains and the sea, the McLaren Vale wine region is a veritable smorgasbord of wine styles and just a short 45-minute road-trip from Adelaide to McLaren Vale. McLaren Vale is actually the first place in South Australia where vines were planted. Multi-generational wineries are commonplace here. Vineyards stretch from the Mount Lofty Ranges way out to the sea. "McLaren Vale has many secrets waiting to be discovered, from the folds of its ever-changing landscape, to its small restaurants and cellar doors and the spectacular d’Arenberg Cube." – James Halliday. There is a wealth of experimental winemakers here, with winemakers constantly pushing the boundaries and setting new benchmarks. Having said that, McLaren Vale is renowned for Rhone red varieties such as Shiraz and Grenache. Another hotbed for delicious wine is Fleurieu surrounded by beautiful beaches and temperate weather.
McLaren Vale is demarcated by its various elevations and soils into several distinctive sub-regions. They include Blewitt Springs, where the wines “have a unique structure, texture, flavour and style, elegant yet highly aromatic and effortlessly flavoured” - James Halliday. Other sub-regions include Willunga, Sellicks, Seaview and McLaren Flat. “Grenache is McLaren Vale’s secret weapon – not merely Australia’s best, but every bit as good as that of the Rhône Valley.” – James Halliday.
