Martins Vineyard Limited McLaren Vale Shiraz 2016

Drawing on Shiraz plantings from the 1950s this is a small batch wine (release is about 600 dozen) made to honour some of Australia's older Shiraz traditions bowing only slightly to modern trends. It is neither an over oaked jammy bruiser nor a modern midweight perfumed delicacy … rather it endeavours well to combine the best bits of both oeuvres. From the 1970s and 80s comes relatively low alcohol … at 14% this is low by Aussie standards where most Shiraz sit between 14.5 and 15.5% alcohol. This gives the wine a tightness, refinement and ageability and a freshness of fruit rather than jam. Next, American oak … French is pretty much all the rage these days, so it is unusual to find vanilla notes floating around … but the oak here is very high quality, the grain is tight and the toast gentle, so the vanilla becomes a complexing component rather than the headline act. Finally, old vines and low yield … this is an extremely concentrated wine with vibrant blue and black fruits, a silkiness and smoothness that reflects its price tag and a level of tannin and acidity which speaks to its long life ahead.