A stellar example of Clare Valley Shiraz, showcasing intense dark fruit flavors with a hint of spice and a velvety texture.
Excellent color and richness at moderate alcohol levels, reflecting the cool and dry vintage conditions.
...
A stellar example of Clare Valley Shiraz, showcasing intense dark fruit flavors with a hint of spice and a velvety texture.
Excellent color and richness at moderate alcohol levels, reflecting the cool and dry vintage conditions.
The McAskill range consists of small volumes of the highest quality wine sourced exclusively from the Gaelic Cemetery Vineyard located in the well known sub region of White Hut. Named in honour after John McAskill who donated the land next door to our vineyard in 1860 to be used as a cemetery for the Gaelic speaking Scottish pioneers of the Clare Valley.
Reviews
96 Points - Wine Orbit
Powerful and opulent while remaining complex and balanced, the wine is filled with dark and purple fruit richness, cedary oak, cake spice and mocha characters. The impressively concentrated palate offers terrific weight and multi-layered mouthfeel combined with beautifully melded tannins, finishing super long and gratifying.
95 points - Wine Reviewer
A vibrant deep red with purple hues in the glass, the nose is generous and fruit driven with pure plum and black cherry fruit on full show. The palate flows with expansive red cherry that has toffee apple like top notes before waves of more serious tannins give contrast and a gently savoury inflection. The finish is long, vibrant and reflective of a wine with an incredible future ahead. Absolutely delicious in its youth but bound to grow significantly over the coming decade
94 Points - Winepilot
Dense purple in colour, there is serious concentration immediately evident here. Depth and richness. The nose offers notes of dark chocolate, coffee grinds, cherries, licorice and gentle mocha. A rich and powerful Shiraz with exemplary focus. There is very impressive length here, through to fine tannins. This wine has a lifespan of at least ten to fifteen years, likely longer, and it will continue to improve over that time. A case in the cellar will seem like a brilliant investment in the years to come
93+ Points - Wine Front
This is a luscious shiraz with a firm scaffold of tannin. It’s both very ripe and very good. Raspberry, sweet plum, asphalt and mint flavours come wedded to smoky, toasty, cedarwood oak. Toast and asphalt are the key drivers of the flavour profile here. There’s a good deal of tannin here too, dry and sheeted, almost sandy. There’s warmth to the finish but it comes with flavour
95 Points - Wine Review Simple
Intriguingly, this Shiraz reveals itself in a captivating deep ruby hue that invites contemplation. As the first sip graces the palate, a subtle undercurrent of spice dances gracefully at the forefront, setting the stage for a very good wine
Tasting Notes
Deep garnet in color with purple hues. The nose offers enticing aromas of ripe blackberries, dark plums, and a hint of black pepper. On the palate, this wine showcases concentrated flavors of blackcurrant and dark cherry, complemented by subtle notes of vanilla and mocha from oak aging. The tannins are firm yet silky, providing excellent structu...
Deep garnet in color with purple hues. The nose offers enticing aromas of ripe blackberries, dark plums, and a hint of black pepper. On the palate, this wine showcases concentrated flavors of blackcurrant and dark cherry, complemented by subtle notes of vanilla and mocha from oak aging. The tannins are firm yet silky, providing excellent structure and a long, satisfying finish with a touch of spice and dark chocolate.
Technical Details
Region
100% Clare Valley, South Australia. One of Australia's oldest and most premium wine regions, famous all around the world for it's Riesling and Shiraz wines in particular
Vineyard
Single vineyard
Varietal
100% Shiraz
When to Drink
Enjoy now or cellar for 15 years 14.0% Alcohol
Vintage Notes
Growing Season
The 2021 vintage conditions for Gaelic Cemetery Vineyards were cool and dry, producing average yields for all varieties including Shiraz. An even budburst through spring and good fruit set were an ideal start to the growing season. Dry conditions continued over the summer period with a very hot and windy day on January 24 causing some vine stress. Despite these challenges, the Shiraz for the McAskill was picked on February 17, early ripening due to the low yields associated with this block. The resulting wine shows excellent colour and richness at moderate alcohol levels.
Winemaking
The grapes for this wine were machine harvested in the cool, early hours of February 17. They were then transported to the winery, destemmed into small open top fermenters, chilled and cold soaked for approximately 72 hours. Fermentation began naturally with indigenous yeasts and was completed within 12 days. The wine was then pressed and transferred into a combination of new and used French 225L barrels for maturation, which lasted just over 18 months. This process has resulted in a wine with excellent color and richness, while maintaining moderate alcohol levels.
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