The Kangarilla Road is a pretty straight up standard for the region, a nose heavy on fruit with hints of spices, and a big mouthful of flavours. Dark berry fruits, currants, even a hint of beetroot, all with a nice earthiness. Finished roundly with fine oak and elegant tannins, and it’s here that this one stands out. I'm getting stuck into this at every opportunity, which includes right now, but given a few more years to settle down and evolve this will go from being excellent to being just bloody spectacular.
It’s the climatic diversity (the weather has a bit of a multiple personality thing going on) of McLaren Vale that has created it’s varied range of meso and micro climates, allowing for the region to grow, and become known for, a wide range of grapes from Tempranillo to Zinfandel. But it is still the Shiraz (and the cab sauv but that’s not the focus here) who reigns supreme.
Awards and Accolades
2015 Vintage: 95 Points, Special Value Wine - Campbell Mattinson, Australian Wine Companion "From several McLaren Vale vineyards, open-fermented with heading down boards, matured for 16 months in French and American hogsheads (25% new). This deeply coloured shiraz is a great example of McLaren Vale's synergistic union with the variety. Dark black fruits, licorice, spice and dark chocolate all add to the palate along with powdery tannins from both fruit and oak."
2014 Vintage: 92 Points - Ray Jordan, The West Australian "Ripe satsuma plum-fruit notes immediately strike on the nose.There’s a little vanillin oak with a sprinkle of spices. Smooth and seamless, with chalky fine tannins in support."
Don't Pay: $29.00
WBW Rating: 95/100
Closure: Stelvin
Region: McLaren Vale, SA
Winemaker: Kevin O'Brien
Drink now until: 2030
Alc/Vol: 14.5 %