Five Stars – Rob Geddes MW, 2016 Australian Wine Vintages (Vintages 1999 – 2005)
The Story
As always, this wine is vintaged from the tiny 1.1 hectare North Block of the Genders “McLaren Park” vineyard, in the heart of McLaren Vale. I have carried out the wine making and storage in the winery at the vineyard.
I carry out the tiny scale batch fermentations in static fermenters in the traditional way, and the batch may rest in the fermenter for three weeks, sometimes longer. Maturation in mainly French oak was just short of three years.
The McLaren Park vineyard is one of the oldest in McLaren Vale, and has been a vineyard since 1910. I do not release this wine every year, only when I deem the quality exceptional for this particular leaner, savoury style.
The soil is a reddish loam, with excellent moisture retention. The vines are rarely stressed.
The vineyard is quite cool, with the sea only a few kilometers away, and, at the base of the Mt Lofty Ranges, cold air drains down at night. This is reflected in the wine style, which is tighter than many in the district.
The Flavours
The nose shows leather and earth with characters of charcuterie . Swirling will reveal aromas of blueberry and damp earth. After ten minutes dark chocolate aromas appear, and this will then lead to something more opulent inter meshing with herbal notes.
The palate is full in the middle, yet tightly wound, with great length. The aromatics carry through to the mouth, with the same blueberry and earth characters, finishing with chocolate and coffee flavours. This wine will suit dishes of pork, venison, duck, charcuterie or dishes with some spice.
I dare to hope that this wine shows its thirteen rows at their finest.