Awards and Accolades

91 Points - James Halliday, The Wine Companion
"McWilliam's has a large vineyard in the Hilltops with vines well over 40yo, and this full-bodied shiraz lives up to expectations, with layers of dark fruits, persistent notes of pepper and cedar attesting to the cool vineyard site. The tannins, too, aren't about to apologise for their contribution."

From The Winery

Colour: Vibrant Red Purple

Aroma: Black cherries, violets, pepper and toasty oak.

Palate: An elegant medium bodied wine with juicy red fruits and spicy oak. The supple tannins gently steer the wine showcasing the balance & poise of this medium bodied style.

An excellent vintage with warm days and cool nights. Spring frosts wiped out blocks on lower sites with poor cold air drainage. This resulted in a lower regional crush but quality was high due to it only being from the most suitable sites. A hot and dry growing season resulted in balanced canopies with low yields and concentrated fruit. Some rainfall occurred during February & March which was a positive as it refreshed the vines and gave them sufficient water to get through to harvest with minimal stress. There was no disease pressure due to the great canopies and low yields.

Harvested in the cool of the morning to preserve fruit integrity, the fruit upon arrival at the winery was transferred into open top fermenters with an average of 15% whole bunches included. Following a gentle 3 day pre-fermentation cold soak the wines were inoculated with cultured yeast. Extraction was achieved through a combination of plunging and pump overs for a period of 12 days then gently pressed prior to being racked to barrel. The barrels were all French oak puncheons and hogsheads with 20% new, 40% one year old and 40% two year old. Maturation in barrel for 9 months prior to carefully blending and lightly fined in preparation for bottling.

Perfect with Osso Bucco, and slow roasted meats.