2022 Nicks Secret OF McLaren Vale Shiraz

From a producer who specialises in sourcing Shiraz and Grenache from old vine single vineyards, this Shiraz comes from two old vine sites in McLaren Flat and Blewitt Springs. Maturation took place in 50% French oak and 50% American oak hogsheads (20% new) for a period of 28 months with only the best barrels selected for the final wine.

Lush, velvety and power packed, this is a superb expression of old vine McLaren Vale Shiraz.

Impenetrable inky black colour with a deep dark red black tinged hue. Alluring scents of dark plum, liquorice and dark chocolate captivate the olfactory senses followed by vanillin oak, subtle mocha and spicy earth notes. Lush and velvety, the weighty palate is engulfed with rich dark plum, liquorice and blackberry fruits. Subtlety toasted vanillin oak, earthy fennel, mocha and spice elements sit in the background. Concentrated and power packed it has very polished yet underlying sturdy tannins and a long, sumptuous conclusion that has a plump feel to it.
Drink over the next 5-6 years.
Alc. 14.5%

Other Reviews….
Gorgeously complex and inviting, the bouquet showcases dark fruit intensity, cake spice, toasty oak, and dark chocolate notes, followed by a wonderfully weighted palate that delivers a plump mouthfeel, backed by layers of fine tannins, finishing plush and flavoursome. At its best: now to 2037.
95 Points
Sam Kim – Wine Orbit

Two old-vine plantings of shiraz, open fermented, finishing in barrel, both French and American, an undisclosed though not intrusive portion new. There’s an old-vine gravitas here, a hard-won intensity, borne from vine roots digging deep over decades, suffusing the fruit with deeply moody dark-fruited intensity. There’s no excess, just depth and intensity, with spice notes, coffee, cacao, a tasteful nip of Captain Morgan and some woody herbs detailing. A milk chocolate feel to the palate, supple, slightly creamy, the tannins fine and the length sustained. Drink by 2032.
94 Points
Marcus Ellis - James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion

A marriage of fluorescent red berries, redcurrants, raspberries and black cherries. Some soft bay leaf and tobacco pouch. Acidity is measured for flow and even grace across the palate, granular tannins but carry the intensity right to the finish. There are undercurrents of granitic earth and brown soil, some olive fleck savouriness too. French oak rounds out the finish. This will age beautiful over another 5–8 years. Drink now–2033
95 Points
The Vintage Journal