For CRT single bottle replacements only.
Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz |
---|---|
Vintage | 2018 |
Country | Australia |
Volume | 750 mL |
Closure | Screw Cap |
Alc/Vol | 14.5% |
Peak Drinking | Enjoy Now - 2028 |
Winemaker | Marie Clay |
95 points | Ray Jordan |
93 points | Mike Bennie |
92 points | Jane Faulkner |
Ray Jordan
"Langhorne Creek has been a key part of the Blass style from the time Blass the man himself started his first blends in the early 70s. The smooth supple elegance of the region is perfectly imparted on the palate while the ever so faint leafiness on the nose is a distinct regional character. It all comes together beautifully in a harmonious integrated wine."
Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
"What a colour - dense, dark purple; oodles of ripe plums dipped in dark chocolate with a dash of pepper and eucalypt. A sweet-sour acid edge and no shortage of varnishy, toasty oak flavoured with clove and star anise so this does need cellaring time."
Mike Bennie
“…Supple texture with a web of gummy, firming tannins. Sweet berries, plummy notes, black olive and faint eucalyptus characters with faint salted liquorice characters. Silky upfront, builds into that sense of pucker and chew to finish. Seasoned with clove oak judiciously and finishes slightly minty/eucalyptus lifted and also faintly salty. Feels fancy.”
Nestled among gum trees on an ancient flood plain between the Bremer and Angas rivers, Langhorne Creek is one of Australia’s best-kept viticultural secrets. Its deep, alluvial soils and the surprisingly cool influence of nearby Lake Alexandrina produce soft and fragrantly elegant reds with distinctive mintiness.
Above average winter rains, leading to a number of floods
through the older floodplain vineyards, was followed by a
slightly drier spring, setting the vines up well. Short
January heatwaves were tempered by good leaf coverage
and cooling southerly breezes. Warm, dry days and cool
nights during ripening resulted in moderate yields and
excellent quality, fruit-focused wines.
Wolf Blass winemaker Marie Clay discovered wine through her Dad's stellar collection of South Australian reds. Like all good fathers, he stocked up on the birth year of his two daughters. In Marie's case, that just happened to be a lovely bottle of 1979 Wolf Blass Black Label, which was cracked at her 21st birthday.
After graduating in 2000 from the University of Adelaide with first Class honours in Oenology, Marie received the Southcorp wine scholarship. This allowed her to travel and work with the company’s best winemakers across the Australian wine regions of Coonawarra, Barossa, Sunraysia and Great Western. Following these experiences, Marie worked with Lindeman’s for 4 years at both their NSW and Victorian wineries, overseeing white wine production.
In December 2006 Marie joined the Wolf Blass winemaking team in the Barossa, where she relished the opportunity to work with premium red wines from vineyard to bottle. She loves working in a modern winery that allows the fruit's potential to be realised. Langhorne Creek and McLaren Vale, the heartland regions of the Grey Label range, are particularly close to her heart.