Adelina Shiraz Mataro 2021

Description

“What I love about the wines is that Jennie Gardner and Colin McBryde can pour just as much passion into producing serious wines with serious labels and serious sense of terroir (Adelina) as they do producing a range of fun, everyday drinking wines with gloriously garish pulp fiction labels …” Max Allen, The Future Makers

The Adelina vineyards are situated in Spring Farm Valley, just south of the township of Clare in SA. Their neighbours include the vineyards of Wendouree, Aberfeldy and Sevenhill Cellars. The small Adelina plantings were originally established around 1910; mostly Shiraz and Grenache with small plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. The vineyard is right next door to Birk’s Wendouree so we know the terroir is good! The Gardner family has owned the Spring Farm Estate, which is the site of both the Adelina winery and vineyards, since 1986. Prior to the inception of Adelina Wines in 2000, the property was managed by Will and Elaine Gardner, and the fruit was sold to Tim Adams. In 2002, Col McBryde and Jen Gardner, Will and Elaine’s daughter, took over responsibility for the vineyards and launched Adelina wines which are made exclusively from the Estate vineyards. The pair has been involved in winemaking and research since the mid-90s.

Certified organic. The 2021 is a blend of 79% Shiraz and 21% Mataro. The lion’s share of the Shiraz is drawn from a historic vineyard, owned by Jim McDowell and Anne Brown since 1987, but originally part of Wendouree and right next door to Adelina’s Old Block Shiraz. Specifically, the fruit is from the ‘Old 14’ and ‘Experimental’ blocks, both plated circa 1904. There’s also a swig of Shiraz drawn from Adelina’s Block 7, planted in 2013. The Mataro, from Adelina’s dry-grown bush vines, grows on slightly leaner soils of red sands with clay. Both ferments are whole berry (all in concrete) and on skins for nine and 12 days respectively. The grapes were co-fermented in concrete, followed by eleven months in 700-litre seasoned French foudre.

It’s immediately perfumed and highly aromatic with a backdrop of vibrant dark fruits and earthy complexity. There’s a fabulous, mouthcoating structure with assertive acidity and taut, linear tannins. As could be expected from the combination of great vineyards and the savoir-faire of the growers, it packs an incredible punch in the flavour department, the powerful fruit is countered by an earthy grip and spicy depth. Don’t hesitate.
94+ points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front  “Blueberry, blackberry, a dusting of black pepper and clove, grilled meat, liquorice. Medium to full-bodied, blue and black fruits, a subtle tang of orange zest, toasted nuts, silty and sticky tannin, acidity quite lively here, earthy too, a little peat and dried herb, with a tight and tangy finish of excellent length. Slate character on the finish, and again the orange peel offering a subtle bitterness. A little elemental as at now, but a lot of wine in the glass. Needs a couple of years I suspect.”

RRP $45 … Our Special Price $35.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine