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Mclaren Vale, South Australia |
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14% |
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“McLaren Vale is our heartland”, and it’s where Bernice Ong and Julian Forwood bought their 11 hectare vineyard atop the Onkaparinga Gorge. Between them they have thirty-five years of experience in wine & hospitality, and they have developed a knack for tracking down the very best parcels of fruit they can lay their hands on. Fruit is sourced from around the country: close to home in McLaren Vale or Clare Valley and as far afield as Tasmania. Bernice and Julian created Ministry of Clouds in 2013, and in such a short space of time their beautifully poised, elegant wines have won a legion of fans.
Their Shiraz combines a famed dry-farmed Blewitt Springs sandy vineyard and a younger, more fragrant parcel from the shallow old rocks of their own Seaview site. Each parcel was hand picked to preserve freshness and vibrancy, keeping 5% as whole bunches and gently de-stemming the balance to retain whole berries. Fermentation commenced naturally, it was hand plunged or pumped over and tasted twice daily to assess flavour and colour extraction. After a gentle basket press, the wine was matured in a 5,000-litre old French oak foudre, and a selection of 500-litre puncheons. Bottled without fining or filtration.
You've got layers of fruit and sweet spice like cardamom, supported by a creamy texture and deep fruit weight on the palate with a fine and savoury tannin structure.