Description
At Paxton wines, we have been nurturing our family owned vineyards in McLaren Vale, South Australia, since 1979. We are leaders in organic and biodynamic winemaking.
David Paxton (Viticulturist) and Richard Freebairn (Winemaker) have combined their decades of experience, and by embracing biodynamic and organic practices (fully certified since 2011), are producing the healthiest of vines.
Through the use of natural preparations and composts, the soil and vine are able to find the perfect balance. The end result is exceptionally pure fruit and “Wines with Life”.
| Variety: | Shiraz (60%) Grenache (40%) |
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| 100%: | Organic | Biodynamic | Vegan |
| Region: | McLaren Vale |
| Colour: | Bright purple hue with a touch of red. |
| Aroma: | A floral perfume of cherries, Turkish delight and raspberries. With a hint of spontaneous (wild) fermentation and whole bunch character’s. |
| Palate: | Bright fruit driven front palate, with soft and silk mid palate. Hints of raspberries, cinnamon, liquorice, Turkish delight and nutmeg. Medium bodied with luscious tannins. |
| Drink With: | Heavier foods, spicey, herby, your favourite roast |
| Cellaring: | This wine gives the best of both worlds: a fantastic wine when young, but careful cellaring for 10 – 15 years will be rewarded. |
WINE MAKING & VINTAGE
| Vintage: | 2016 was a very strong year in McLaren Vale. After 6 months without rain we had 40mm in the first week of February. This slowed down the baumes and allowed the acidity to catch up, therefore giving the fruit flavour equilibrium. Berry numbers were high due to an even veraison, leading to the highest quality crops and tonnages. |
|---|---|
| Vintage: | 2017 was a fantastic year for winemaking in McLaren Vale. We had an extremely wet winter and our vineyards reached full saturation point. Spring brought very consistent fruit set and flowering. The rain continued throughout summer and mild days with cool nights allowed for a slow ripening season. These conditions resulted in fragrant whites with lower acidity, and elegant reds with very attractive primary fruit flavours and lower alcohols. |
| Vinification: | Individual vineyard parcels of Shiraz and Grenache were selected when they reached optimum sugar and flavour equilibrium. The parcels were kept separate throughout picking, de-stemming and fermenting, enhancing the unique characters of each vineyard. Fermentation was carried out in open top and static fermenters. During this process, each parcel was plunged and/or pumped over twice a day for 14 days, to extract colour, flavour and tannin structure. The ferments were pressed to seasoned French and Hungarian oak barriques, where they were nurtured for 12 months prior to blending and bottling. |
| Alcohol: | 13.5% |
| pH: | 3.56 |
| TA: | 5.32g/L |
| Total SO2: | 65ppm |
| Winemaker: | Richard Freebairn |
REVIEWS
90 Points (2016 Vintage) – Reviewed by Huon Hooke – The Real Review in 2019
Attractive bouquet of subtle spice aromas, clean and fresh and balanced, the palate likewise easily accessible and balanced for early drinking. The wine is
medium to full-bodied and rounded with soft tannins and immediately enjoyable savoury complexities.
93 Points (2016 Vintage) – Reviewed by Dan Murphy’s Wine Panel
Vibrant crimson and colour. Intensely fresh, red and blue fruited, spicy liquorice and peppercorn on the nose. The palate is plush and saturated with complexing savoury and cedar. Good length and tannin mouthfeel. Very pleasant. Very nice drink.
