d'Arenberg d'Arry's Original Shiraz Grenache 2021 | McLaren Vale

Winemaking Notes

Small batches of Shiraz and Grenache are gently crushed and transferred separately to five-tonne headed-down open fermenters, remaining separate until final blending. Foot treading is undertaken two-thirds of the way through fermentation — a traditional technique that extracts colour, tannin, and complexity with a gentleness that mechanical methods cannot replicate. The wine is then basket pressed and transferred to a mixture of new and used French oak barriques to complete fermentation. Barrel ferments are aged on lees with no racking until final blending. No fining or filtration prior to bottling — preserving the full character and integrity of the fruit and the blend.

Vintage Conditions

The 2021 McLaren Vale vintage began with a beautifully wet winter that flushed the soil of salts and filled the soil profile, followed by an above-average spring with rainfall through to November. November was hotter than normal, which disrupted berry set — fortunate, given that bunch numbers were well up. Two inches of rain in early February was much appreciated by the relatively large crops. The heat produced fast flowering, rapid berry development, and an early veraison, leading to the equal earliest start of vintage on record. A few days around 35°C in February rapidly ripened the early, lower-cropping vineyards, before the vintage settled into a mild and dry rhythm. Average autumn temperatures were down, with some welcome 30°C days in late March and early April helping to finish the ripening of larger crops and late-ripening varieties.