Kangarilla Road “Leaf Series” Shiraz

15 May Kangarilla Road “Leaf Series” Shiraz

region/G.I.*: McLaren Vale, Australia (In Australia, wine regions are denote as Geographical Indications, or G.I., similar to AVA’s (American Viticultural Area) in the United States and AOP’s (Apellation d’Origine Protégée) in France.)

A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Kevin O’Brien, owner and
winemaker for a boutique winery in McLaren Vale, Australia, where he specializes in producing primarily organic Shiraz. We tasted through his fantastic lineup and I chose two of his red wines, one for each Wine Club #1 and #2.

McLaren Vale is located in the larger region of South Australia, just below it’s more famous neighbor Barossa Valley. (In the map below, Barossa Valley is out of range, just to the north of the image.) The McLaren Vale is the closest wine region to Gulf St Vincent, where the cooling sea breezes counter the hotter inland winds. When comparing typical Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale wines, the cooling maritime effect evident; the wines of the hot Barossa Valley are rich, uber fruity and jammy with higher alcohol, as opposed to McLaren Vale’s more restrained wines of slightly lower alcohol, and more delicate aromas of flowers and brighter fruit. Of course, there are exceptions from either region!

winery tasting notes: dark floral notes reminiscent of roses, together with hints of white pepper and juicy red plums. On the palate dark berry fruits intertwine with prunes and chocolate. The wine finishes with fine oak and natural fruit tannins carrying with them a lingering taste of fresh blackberries. Aged in 25% new French and American oak barrels for 16 months.

Pair with BBQ, garlic stuffed leg of lamb, good quality cheddar cheese, country ham. If you like bold red wines, this is also drinkable on it’s own!