Grey Label McLaren Vale Shiraz 2016
Wolf Blass
Grey Label McLaren Vale Shiraz 2016
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Wolf Blass
Grey Label McLaren Vale Shiraz 2016
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Overview
Overview
Mclaren Vale Shiraz is inherently suited to the grey label style, rich, plush and powerful, yet with an approachability that provides sheer enjoyment throughout its evolution over time in bottle.
Grey Label Shiraz was sourced from vineyards ranging in altitudes from about 50m near the coast to 200m where McLaren Vale merges with the Adelaide Hills, bringing complexity and layers of interest to the final wine. The region mostly spans two basins of ancient bedrock layered with sediments laid down by advances and retreats of the sea over the past 45 million years. Soil types vary from sands, yellow clays, and red and black loams through to ironstone.
Individual vineyard batches were fermented in small open-top fermenters for 5 to 10 days. Plunging and gentle irrigation were used to work the cap and optimise flavour, colour and tannin extraction, providing for concentration and depth of fruit flavour, while keeping tannins plush, hallmarks of the Grey Label style. Select batches completed fermentation in barrel, contributing mid-palate texture, while others finished fermentation on skins, providing structural length and focus.
| Varietal | Shiraz |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | McLaren Vale |
| Volume | 750 mL |
| Closure | Screw Cap |
| Alc/Vol | 14.5% |
| Peak Drinking | Now - 2026 |
| Winemaker | The Wolf Blass Team |
Awards and Accolades
Awards and Accolades
| Double Gold | San Francisco Wine Show 2018 |
| Gold | Melbourne Wine Show 2018 |
| Gold | Adelaide Wine Show 2019 |
| Silver | Japan Wine Challenge 2018 |
| Silver | Royal Hobart Wine Show 2018 |
| Silver | Perth Royal Wine Show 2018 |
| Silver | Decanter Asia Awards 2018 |
| Silver | McLaren Vale Wine Show 2018 |
| Silver | National wine show of Australia 2018 |
| Silver | International Wine Challenge 2018 |
| Silver | 201 IWSC Wine Show 2019 |
| Bronze | International Wine Spirit Competition 2018 |
| Bronze | KPMG Sydney royal Wine Show 2019 |
| 94 points | Huon Hooke |
| 92 points | James Halliday |
Huon Hooke
"Very deep, dense, dark red/purple colour. The bouquet is super-ripe and almost jammy, with rich, opulent qualities, but the palate is more serious with firm, tight structure and full-body, backed up by abundant dry, savoury tannins. A big, solid wine with liberal but balanced oak and appealingly fleshy palate texture. It's big but already approachable."
James Halliday
"Deep crimson, this is a corpulent wine built to a long-established house style: sweet coconut crusted oak, ample dark fruit allusions and plenty of fruitcake spice given lift and swagger by some reductive tension and violet scents wafting uber alles."
Food Pairing
Food Pairing
Beef
Lamb
Duck
Veg
Pizza
Taste Description
Taste Description
Nose
Aromatic blue fruits are complexed with notes of dark chocolate, warm spice and subtle nougat oak.
Viticulture Vintage & Winemaking
Viticulture Vintage & Winemaking
McLaren Vale, South Australia
McLaren Vale lies nestled between the Mt Lofty Ranges and the rolling white sand beaches of Gulf St Vincent. With its warm Mediterranean climate, relaxed coastal ambience and superb local produce, McLaren Vale is a melting pot of food, wine and the arts: the ultimate epicurean destination. The region is renowned for its soft and velvety Shiraz, with pronounced berry, spice and chocolate flavours.
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
Vines were well balanced with good yields after establishing well from the light and regular winter rains a nd moderate spring conditions. Ripening was near perfect with good colour and flavour being achieved at moderate sugar levels and little disease pressure. Cool nights assisted in the retention of natural acidity in the fruit as it ripened.
Marie Clay - Winemaker
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.