Description
Stephen Pannell marked 10 years of the S.C. Pannell label in style, buying a vineyard he’s loved for years, acquiring a winery and cellar door in the heart of McLaren Vale and scooping the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for his 2013 Adelaide Hills Syrah. He’s one of the most liked and respected winemakers in the business, loved also by a wine-drinking public looking for refreshing, aromatic white wines and reds that are approachable and moreish – in essence, wines that are serious while remaining irresistible to drink. It’s this that made him an irresistible choice as Gourmet Traveller WINE Winemaker of the Year in 2015. From its new permanent home in McLaren Vale, S.C. Pannell continues its quest for great “wines that are grown, not made” – wines that are delicious, that taste of where they’re from and that are a natural partner for the food and lifestyle of their home.
Stephen Pannell has twice won Australia’s most prestigious wine award, the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy – most recently in 2014 for his 2013 Adelaide Hills Syrah – and his reputation is further hinted at by his being named one of the 50 most influential contributors to the world of wine by Decanter Magazine.
He earned his stripes working with some Australia’s iconic wineries including Wirra Wirra, Hardy’s Tintara and BRL Hardy, where he was Chief Red Winemaker from 1999 to 2003. He has worked numerous overseas vintages at such places as Domaine des Comtes Lafon in Burgundy, Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux and G.D. Vajra in Barolo.
In 2014, Steve further cemented his relationship with the great grapegrowing region that is South Australia by setting up a cellar door in the heart of McLaren Vale.
James Halliday on Steve Pannell “….Steve radiates intensity, and extended experience has resulted in wines of the highest quality right from the first vintage. The Pannells have purchased two vineyards in McLaren Vale,the first planted in 1891 with a precious 3.6ha of shiraz. A second property was purchased in 2014, lifting the estate vineyards to a total of 22ha. Steve manages the vineyard with the aim of generating full flavour ripeness as close to 13% as possible. The future for the Pannells is limitless, the icon status of the label already established. 5 Red Star Winery.”
Winemakers notes : “Our Field St Shiraz is sourced from our McLaren Vale vineyards: Olivers Road and Koomilya. In every sense this wine is at the heart of S.C. Pannell. It’s our house wine, grown where our vines are in the earth and our feet are on the ground.
It’s a warm-climate Shiraz stripped back from the artifice of modern winemaking to express the purity and breadth of McLaren Vale fruit. It’s all about the preservation of fruit flavours, without losing weight and richness.
Vintage 2021 was joyous. There was no stress in the vineyard and we had plenty of water and heat at the right time. An extended ripening period without disease pressure led to great flavour. The fruit was plentiful and perfectly ripe. What a strange contrast to the previous year!
The grapes for 2021 Field St Shiraz were harvested between 23rd February and 3rd March. The two batches were fermented in open-top vats with daily pumpovers, each with 14 days on skins before gentle pressing. We blended it and settled the wine in tank before transfer to oak vat for malolactic conversion. The wine matured in a new 9000-litre French oak vat and old French oak puncheons. We racked it three times and bottled it without fining in May 2022.
The nose shows blackberry, cherry cola, iodine, cinnamon, pomegranate molasses and Chambord liqueur followed by bay, fresh fig and raspberry. The wine has fresh, vibrant aromas and flavours that dance across the palate. It’s medium bodied and flows across the tongue, tightening in the midpalate with a long and delicate finish. It feels like surfing a barrel wave before landing in a herby wash at the end of a long ride.” – Stephen Pannell
Ample black fruits including blackberry and mulberry with hints of red licorice, sarsaparilla, cumin spice and a gamey charcuterie note. McLaren Vale is known as the mid- palate of Australia and this Shiraz is a testament to that with its velvety plush texture and juicy generous middle palate. The finish is supple, long and persistent with very fine, well integrated tannins. Yum!
92 Points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front “Blackberry and raspberry, seaweed and baking spices. It’s medium-bodied, spicy dark fruit, a little tar, a saline edge, smooth flow of firm cocoa tannin, fleshy but fresh, with a firm finish of excellent length. Nicely done and very at ease with itself.”
RRP $32 Our Price $27.99 – Last of this vintage!
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