Red Knot McLaren Vale Shiraz 2018 (Australia)

Red Knot McLaren Vale Shiraz 2018 (Australia)Subtle oak Blackberry & cherry Mocha Dark berry compote Deep purple red. Pretty primary aromas of blackberry, cherry and strawberry, with notes of violet and mocha, lift from the glass. A compote of dark berries flows through the medium bodied palate, focused by fine tannins and subtle oak. The region has a Mediterranean climate with wet winters, dry summers and plenty of sunshine. The proximity to St Vincent Gulf, coincidentally named after the

• Subtle oak
• Blackberry & cherry
• Mocha
• Dark berry compote

Deep purple red. Pretty primary aromas of blackberry, cherry and strawberry, with notes of violet and mocha, lift from the glass. A compote of dark berries flows through the medium-bodied palate, focused by fine tannins and subtle oak.

The region has a Mediterranean climate with wet winters, dry summers and plenty of sunshine. The proximity to St Vincent Gulf, coincidentally named after the patron saint of winemakers, benefits fruit quality with warmer spring and autumn conditions and cooler summers. McLaren Vale is renowned as a premium wine region of great beauty that consistently produces high quality, richly flavoured wines.

After a dry start to Winter winemakers had good rainfall, ending up 10% above the long-term averages, flushing and filling soil profiles to saturation. Although a mid-September bud burst was later than recent vintages it was in line with long term averages. Spring rainfall was well below average, resulting in low disease pressure. Average day and night spring temperatures were close to record highs, resulting in steady vine shoot growth, catching up some ground after the later bud burst. 10mm of rain on December 1st and another 15 mm on December 15th, freshening the vines during early berry development. With only 6 mm of rain in January and 5 mm in February Summer rainfall ended up only two thirds of the average. Drier and warmer than average conditions continued through March and April resulting in a disease free and orderly progression to vintage, allowing time for the potential of each batch of grapes to be maximised in the winery. Harvest started with Semillon on February 6th and our McLaren Vale white and rosé blocks were all off by February 19th when the first Davey Estate Shiraz was picked. Shiraz harvest, other than a small parcel for fortified, was completed on March 24th and Cabernet Sauvignon soon after on March 29th, just before Easter. Mataro, the last of the Grenache and Shiraz for fortification were harvested after Easter with all fruit in by April 5th.