Kay Brothers Hillside Shiraz 2022 McLaren Vale

Winemaking Notes
The Kay Brothers Hillside Shiraz 2022 is crafted by carefully selecting parcels of fruit from the Hillside vineyard to assemble the best blend possible, with each block contributing its unique characteristics to create a wine of exceptional depth and complexity. Block 11, located at the top of the hill, has shallow sandy loam soil over limestone and sandstone, with these vines very exposed to the wind and sun, resulting in earlier maturation in most years and low yields that produce intense fruit concentration and powerful tannins. The rest of the Hillside Shiraz is sourced from farther down the hill in New Block 6, where dark chocolate loam and clay soil dispersed with quartz and ironstone over silty limestone creates a different expression of the vineyard's terroir. The New Block 6 component provides the finesse and elegance to the overall blend with savoury flavours and tight structure, complementing the power and concentration from Block 11. The blend of these two vineyards is a perfect balance, with the intense fruit concentration and powerful tannins from the exposed hilltop vines harmonising beautifully with the finesse, elegance, and savoury character from the lower slopes, resulting in a wine that displays deep ruby with purple hue, alluring aromas of dark fruits, musk, and dried herbs followed by smokey, earthy notes, and a palate that is dense and concentrated with layers of rich dark fruits, black olive tapenade, and chocolate, supported by gritty textured tannins lingering on the finish.

Vintage Conditions
The 2022 vintage in McLaren Vale provided excellent conditions for the Hillside vineyard, with the distinct microclimates of Block 11 at the top of the hill and New Block 6 farther down the slopes each responding to the season's conditions in ways that enhanced their individual contributions to the final blend. Block 11's exposed position, with shallow sandy loam soil over limestone and sandstone, meant the vines experienced the full force of the wind and sun, resulting in earlier maturation and the development of intense fruit concentration and powerful tannins that define the wine's structure and depth. The lower-lying New Block 6, with its dark chocolate loam and clay soil dispersed with quartz and ironstone over silty limestone, benefited from slightly more protection and different soil characteristics, allowing the fruit to develop the finesse, elegance, and savoury flavours that provide balance to the blend's power. The combination of these two distinct terroirs in the 2022 vintage has resulted in a wine that showcases the very best of what the Hillside vineyard can offer, with the perfect balance between the intense concentration from the exposed hilltop and the refined elegance from the lower slopes creating a full-bodied and flavourful wine that displays exceptional complexity, with dense and concentrated palate, gritty textured tannins, and layers of rich dark fruits, black olive tapenade, and chocolate that leave you eager for another sip.