YANGARRA ESTATE VINEYARD Kings Wood Shiraz Shiraz, McLaren Vale

ColourVery attractive crimson black colour. DenseAromaVery lifted and perfumed, spicy, almost nutty fruit/ oak complexity. A touch of that peaty character which is so typical of the old vines in Block 9.PalateSoft, rich, flavoursome palate with lovely spice and pepper complexity lingering. Not sweet, more savoury and elegant in style. A great follow on from the 2010 Reserve Shiraz. This is an impressive example of old vine Blewitt Springs Shiraz.

ColourDeep red/ purple huesAromaBlackberry and blackcurrant evident at first and followed by satsuma plum characters.PalateHerbaceous, capsicum flavours at the front palate. Blackberry and satsuma plum characters are supported by firm tannins leading to a lingering finish.

The wine has a mouth filling lusciousness, densely packed with generous plum and dark cherry fruit flavours along with subtle floral violet characters and a smack of vanilla underlying the opulent oak expression.

The Old Vine Syrah patch was planted in the 1930s and is on a slope of the property with a westerly aspect. These old gnarly vines are planted in heavily decomposed ironstone and quartz. The style of wine is completely individual and the winemaking team always comment on how light the style is and how exotic the spices are in this vineyard. The spices come across like incense mixed with deeply aromatic and smoky lapsang oolong tea. Exotic characters such as sandalwood, cocoa powder, sarsaparilla and cola elements top the roast meat and flinty, strawberry and cream palette of this wine. The lighter frame on this style is highly attractive and the intoxicating spices combine to create something highly exotic.

Ernest Allan Rivers was a market gardener and vigneron, he was also the grandfather of Melissa Brown, Gemtree proprietor and biodynamic viticulturist. Ernest Allan Shiraz is a wine that celebrates and validates the relationship between the earth and the vine.