92 points: James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion
A stylish and vibrant shiraz showing bursts of blackcurrants, spice and subtle hints of choc mint. The palate is full and rich in flavour, lush dark berries coat the mouth while savoury tannins provide an alluring texture that lingers. A food friendly wine and a classic example of McLaren Vale Shiraz in the glass.
Enjoy with Beef Bourguignon on roasted new potatoes, smoked speck, Swiss brown mushrooms, carrot and celery with crispy pancetta and Bourguignon jus.
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion: "Crimson-purple; a generously proportioned wine telegraphed by the aromatic bouquet, which commences the seam of intertwined fruit and oak; McLaren Vale chocolate is the lynchpin for the black fruit flavours, in turn framed by balanced oak and tannins." 92 points
The hero variety of the region, Woodstock Shiraz is sourced entirely from estate grown fruit. Being a very vigorous red variety, the key is to manage the Shiraz leaf canopies carefully to ensure the best from the vines.
Grapes for this Shiraz come from vines on the Estate which were planted in 1972 and 1974. The number of leaves are reduced to ensure perfect ripening of the berries with some exposure to sunlight and air. Yields are deliberately kept low for good flavour concentration. Maturation in 2 to 3 year old seasoned American oak for 18 months enhances its complexity without the oak dominating.
Woodstock wines have been created by both Scott Collett and Ben Glaetzer since 1999; Scott in the vineyards, Ben in the cellars and jointly in the tasting room. Their philosophy is to capture the essence of McLaren Vale, ensuring absolute quality at every stage from the vineyards to the bottle.
