2022 Rudderless Vineyard Shiraz
2022 Rudderless Vineyard Shiraz

2022 Rudderless Vineyard Shiraz

95 pts
Rudderless Vineyard |McLaren Vale |Shiraz
Class act McLaren Vale Shiraz. Gorgeous drinking here with a brilliant balance of power and elegance.
Price:
$35.00
Stock:
Sold out
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Description

Sourced from Doug Govan’s meticulously planted vineyard at the foothills of Sellicks Hill, this wine is all about intensity, structure, and regional character. Govan’s decision to plant Shiraz here, using cuttings from his favourite vineyards, has paid off beautifully, with the vines now delivering fruit that’s rich and complex, year after year.

This is a well-crafted, approachable Shiraz that offers fantastic value for what’s in the bottle.

Made by Pete Fraser and the team at Yangarra, this Shiraz is all about balance. It’s fruit-driven but not overly rich, with just enough oak to add a layer of complexity without overwhelming the freshness of the fruit. A solid, well-rounded McLaren Vale Shiraz that you can enjoy now or let sit for a few years to soften even more.

If you’re looking for a quality, mid-tier Shiraz that captures the spirit of McLaren Vale without breaking the bank, the 2022 Rudderless Vineyard Shiraz is a great choice.

95 points
"Quite some perfume here, spicy too, blackberry and boysenberry, some black olive. It’s medium-bodied, offers crunch and freshness, fine grip of stony tannin, quite meaty and savoury, but has bright red and black berries too. A twist of black pepper on a precise finish of excellent length. Gee, this is stylish and good to drink. I can’t quite make up my mind on score – 94 or 95 points I reckon – though I’ll give it the push because it’s just so classy."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

95 points - "Quite some perfume here, spicy too, blackberry and boysenberry, some black olive. It’s medium-bodied, offers crunch and freshness, fine grip of stony tannin, quite meaty and savoury, but has bright red and black berries too. A twist of black pepper on a precise finish of excellent length. Gee, this is stylish and good to drink. I can’t quite make up my mind on score – 94 or 95 points I reckon – though I’ll give it the push because it’s just so classy." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

The Lower Vineyard
“The original level-headed plan had been to plant 2.5 acres behind the hotel on my own property. However an identical size piece of land to the west beckoned me for two reasons.

Firstly it had been established with five meter tall almond trees which blocked the panoramic view; and secondly it had a gentler slope and would accordingly be easier to establish.

There was only one snag, I only owned about a quarter of this precious little parcel of land. So amicable negotiations with Andrew Just and his family resulted in a long term lease being established.

I was determined to make everything as difficult as possible. Thirty four rows, not one with the same length as another. Four different varieties with cuttings taken from ten different vineyards. I traveled the countryside in the middle of winter taking cuttings from some of my favorite wineries.

My rationale was not to try and emulate their wines, but to at least start off with vines that had a story that was meaningful to me. Consequently vines were sourced and planted in spring of 1999.

The summer of 2000 was one of the most ferocious on record with mean maximum temperatures in January and February being 3.1 degrees above normal.

February had 18 days with maximum temperatures above 30 degrees. And Sellicks Hill had plenty of hot gully winds! Along with Cuculiobeetles and dehydrated, hungry kangaroos, conditions weren’t ideal for establishing a new vineyard.”

That was the establishment phase of the ‘initial’ vineyard. These vines will produce 1.5 to 2.0 tonnes per acre.

The Upper Vineyard
Four years later, the ‘upper’ vineyard was planted on a much steeper slope in harsher soil in the spring of 2003. I expect this vineyard to produce even less fruit; perhaps in the order of 1.0 – 1.5 tonnes per acre. It is an even, rectangular planting behind the hotel. Once again I braved the elements with two muddy golden retrievers in tow during some pretty stormy winter days to take most of the cuttings from really great vineyards in the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. The Viognier and Graciano were both sourced from the “South Australian Vine Improvement” group.

Price Bracket $31 to $40
Type Red
Body Full Bodied
Variety Shiraz
Country Australia
Region McLaren Vale
Australian State SA
Feature High Score
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Critic Score 95
Size 750ml
Vintage 2022
Closure Screw Cap

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