Rocky Block Shiraz Coonawarra 2023

The Rocky Block on the McLeod’s Tirrike vineyard sits at the very northern limit of the Coonawarra growing region. Somewhat predictably, the vineyard is littered with Limestone rocks which sit amongst the vineyard’s shallow terra rossa soils. These ancient soils lack the fertility of neighbouring paddocks with black dirt, limiting yields, concentrating flavour and producing wonderfully expressive cool climate Shiraz with high levels of natural acidity.

Picking was conducted using a Select Harvester which de-stems the bunches in the vineyard to deliver pristine whole berries to the winery.

The grapes were fermented in both open and closed top fermenters for an average of 10 days on skins. Closed fermenters are used to retain aromatics, while open tops are used for flavour and colour extraction. Malolactic fermentation was completed in stainless steel and then the blend was put to French oak barriques (25% new) for 12 months prior to bottling.

The Rocky Block Shiraz is a great example of cool climate Australian Shiraz. It displays freshness and elegance, with concentration, structure, and great length.