Wolf Blass Grey Label McLaren Vale Shiraz 2016

Grey Label McLaren Vale Shiraz 2016

750 mL

$35.00

6 x 750 mL

$210.00

Qty

Overview

Mclaren Vale Shiraz is inherently suited to the grey label style, rich, plush and powerful, yet with an approachability that provides sheer enjoyment throughout its evolution over time in bottle.

Grey Label Shiraz was sourced from vineyards ranging in altitudes from about 50m near the coast to 200m where McLaren Vale merges with the Adelaide Hills, bringing complexity and layers of interest to the final wine. The region mostly spans two basins of ancient bedrock layered with sediments laid down by advances and retreats of the sea over the past 45 million years. Soil types vary from sands, yellow clays, and red and black loams through to ironstone.

Individual vineyard batches were fermented in small open-top fermenters for 5 to 10 days. Plunging and gentle irrigation were used to work the cap and optimise flavour, colour and tannin extraction, providing for concentration and depth of fruit flavour, while keeping tannins plush, hallmarks of the Grey Label style. Select batches completed fermentation in barrel, contributing mid-palate texture, while others finished fermentation on skins, providing structural length and focus.

Varietal	Shiraz
Vintage	2016
Country	Australia
Region	McLaren Vale
Volume	750 mL
Closure	Screw Cap
Alc/Vol	14.5%
Peak Drinking	Now - 2026

Awards and Accolades

94 points

Huon Hooke

92 points

James Halliday

Silver

2018 Japan Wine Challenge

Huon Hooke

"Very deep, dense, dark red/purple colour. The bouquet is super-ripe and almost jammy, with rich, opulent qualities, but the palate is more serious with firm, tight structure and full-body, backed up by abundant dry, savoury tannins. A big, solid wine with liberal but balanced oak and appealingly fleshy palate texture. It's big but already approachable."

James Halliday

"Deep crimson, this is a corpulent wine built to a long-established house style: sweet coconut crusted oak, ample dark fruit allusions and plenty of fruitcake spice given lift and swagger by some reductive tension and violet scents wafting uber alles."

Food Pairing

Beef

Lamb

Duck

Veg

Pizza

Taste Description

Nose

Aromatic blue fruits are complexed with notes of dark chocolate, warm spice and subtle nougat oak.

Flavours and Palate

Medium to full bodied, the blue berried fruits are succulent and plush, filling the mouth without being heavy. The tannins are velvety and powdery , framing the palate and providing texture and length.

Download Tasting Notes (PDF 630 KB)

Viticulture Vintage & Winemaking

McLaren Vale, South Australia

McLaren Vale lies nestled between the Mt Lofty Ranges and the rolling white sand beaches of Gulf St Vincent. With its warm Mediterranean climate, relaxed coastal ambience and superb local produce, McLaren Vale is a melting pot of food, wine and the arts: the ultimate epicurean destination. The region is renowned for its soft and velvety Shiraz, with pronounced berry, spice and chocolate flavours.

Vines were well balanced with good yields after establishing well from the light and regular winter rains a nd moderate spring conditions. Ripening was near perfect with good colour and flavour being achieved at moderate sugar levels and little disease pressure. Cool nights assisted in the retention of natural acidity in the fruit as it ripened.

Marie Clay - Winemaker

Wolf Blass winemaker Marie Clay discovered wine through her Dad's stellar collection of South Australian reds. Like all good fathers, he stocked up on the birth year of his two daughters. In Marie's case, that just happened to be a lovely bottle of 1979 Wolf Blass Black Label, which was cracked at her 21st birthday.

After graduating in 2000 from the University of Adelaide with first Class honours in Oenology, Marie received the Southcorp wine scholarship. This allowed her to travel and work with the company’s best winemakers across the Australian wine regions of Coonawarra, Barossa, Sunraysia and Great Western. Following these experiences, Marie worked with Lindeman’s for 4 years at both their NSW and Victorian wineries, overseeing white wine production.

In December 2006 Marie joined the Wolf Blass winemaking team in the Barossa, where she relished the opportunity to work with premium red wines from vineyard to bottle. She loves working in a modern winery that allows the fruit's potential to be realised. Langhorne Creek and McLaren Vale, the heartland regions of the Grey Label range, are particularly close to her heart.