Name: S.C. Pannell, `Field Street` McLaren Vale Shiraz
SKU: FIELD-ST-SHIRAZ
Price: 18.99 GBP
Availability: InStock

S.C. Pannell, `Field Street` McLaren Vale Shiraz

Stephen Pannell is one of the best and brightest of the new generation of Australian winemakers, having spent a decade working as chief red winemaker at Hardy’s before striking out on his own in 2004. Steve has worked all over the world, including with Aldo Vajra in Barolo and for Domaine Dujac and Pousse d’Or. His broad experience has helped shape his approach to winemaking and his wines are true expressions of the grapes and vineyards of McLaren Vale. In October 2015, Steve was named Winemaker of the Year by the consumer wine magazine, Gourmet Traveller Wine.

VINEYARDS

The Field Street Shiraz is made from fruit sourced from a single nine-hectare vineyard, which faces west to the Gulf of St Vincent. The original Shiraz plantings date back to 1970. In every sense, this wine is at the heart of the S.C. Pannell label. This wine is stripped back from the artifice of winemaking to express the purity and breadth of McLaren Vale Shiraz.

VINTAGE

The 2016 vintage was made up of two distinct halves. The winter and spring were exceptionally dry and warm but a number of rainstorms in summer quickly made the ripening period one of the wettest and mildest on record in McLaren Vale. This change in conditions made for profound tannins in the fruit.

VINIFICATION

The grapes were hand-harvested. Grapes were crushed and spent nine days on the skins. After fermentation, the wine was left for 12 months in 2,800-litre French oak vats, of which 20% was new. This wine is drinking well now but it will also reward cellaring over the next ten years.