2005 S.C. Pannell Shiraz

James Halliday
"96 pts ... A fine wine from the first whiff through to the finish and aftertaste; has intense black and red fruit flavours with no alcohol heat; perfectly integrated and balanced French oak. Drink through 2025." --09/07

Wine Spectator
"90 pts ... Ripe and focused, with creamy blueberry, plum and white pepper mingling effectively on a supple frame. Not a powerhouse, but beautifully put together. Drink now through 2015. " --10/07

Stephen Tanzer
"93 pts ... Inky violet. Highly perfumed boysenberry and blueberry aromas are enlivened by exotic floral pastille, vanilla and incense notes, plus a subtle hint of graphite. Suave and silky in texture, showing impressively pure dark berry and fresh cherry flavors on a midweight frame. Whatever tannins might be here are buried under an avalanche of pure, sweet fruit. Downright sexy shiraz, finishing sweet and long, with a persistent candied violet note." --07/07

Technical Notes
"The key to making a McLaren Vale Shiraz with a fi nished alcohol lower than 14 % was looking for a vineyard that showed fruit fl avor and tannin maturity at sub 14 baume, allowing for natural fermentation without the addition of acid or chance of a stuck ferment. Pannell identifi ed a 90-year old Shiraz vineyard planted on sand on top of clay in McLaren Flat. The ends of the rows were more vigorous and shaded and these were not harvested with the other fruit. The grapes were hand harvested and crushed into 8 tonne concrete open fermenters. A minimum (20%) of new oak was used during maturation in an effort to expresses the vineyard and regional characters of this McLaren Vale Shiraz. 14.5% alc."