The Angove family has released the new vintage of its icon wine and says it is very excited by the 2016 The Medhyk McLaren Vale, Old Wine, Basket Pressed Shiraz.
The wine benefitted from the growing conditions across three premium vineyards which supplied the fruit for the wine. With initially dry conditions meaning low disease pressure, but good rainfall in early February freshening the vine canopies, plumping up the grapes and recharging the soil water.
Tony Ingle, Chief Winemaker, said: “The vineyards have never looked better in terms of balance and our aim in the winery is to translate fruit from these amazing sites in to a wine of complexity, longevity and typicity to the McLaren Vale region.
“Our aim is to build layers of fruit and frame these with tannins of silk. We have worked on our oak regime for this wine narrowing our focus to French oak with around 20% new oak barrels. 2016 was a great year, the best since 2012.”
In detailing the growing conditions, Angove said: “Vintage 2016 will be remembered for a warm and dry spring, which promoted perfect shoot growth and good fruit set, followed up by heavy rain immediately before harvest which helped freshen the vines. At harvest vines produced some of the best grapes we have seen since the early 2000’s, from vines that were exceptionally well balanced.
“The local recycled water system, that supplies much of the region’s irrigation water, was stretched but with careful management and better irrigation techniques our vineyards fared well and at the beginning of February, immediately before the bulk of the region was to be harvested, McLaren Vale had double its average monthly rainfall over two days.
“Far from having a negative effect, this rain gave the vines a new lease on life and relieved any water stress on the vines. The rain also delayed the start of red grape picking into the middle of February.
Vineyards for 2016 included the certified organic Warboys Vineyard surrounding cellar door. The nearby Swann vineyard in Blewitt Springs, grown on ancient sand dunes, also provided parcels as did the Cameron block with its black Biscay clays just north of the township of Willunga. Each of these single vineyard parcels is exclusively hand-picked.
The result is a wine described as “opaque purple with bright hues” with an aroma of “dark black berry fruit, bitter chocolate and liquorice with a touch of earthiness, bound by French oak”.
In terms of the palate, the description is “rich and full on the front of the palate with black cherry and berry fruit on the middle palate. The finish is long and well-structured heralding a great wine with substantial aging potential”.
The wine has a cellar potential to 2036, is vegan friendly and has a recommended food partner of “perfectly cooked lamb shoulder with seasonal roast vegetables”.