We had good winter rains then warm summer conditions which brought about an early harvest. We had a few hot-cool-hot-cool periods which made it a little trickier to decide when to pick, but Joch reckons he got it right in the end.

"Scarce Earth is a McLaren Vale initiative exploring and celebrating the geological climatic and soil diversity of the region. All wines come from a single block, a small plot of land with a unique flavour profile and personality."

This 2013  Shiraz is made using grapes from our Ding’s Vineyard. It has been hand-made, hand bottled and is unfiltered. The wine was open fermented then matured without any time in oak barrels at all, to allow the expression of the vineyard in its purest form. (Ding's Block is named after Joch's first dog who is buried under panel 1 in row 1. I'm not being morbid, it's just a fact.)

Soil Type:          Urrbrae stony loam

Geology:           Christies Beach formation, Quaternary period

Elevation:          130 metres

Vine Age:          11 years

Volume:              33 dozen

• Nick Stock's McLaren Vale Report #2 on www.jamessuckling.com

   

  A superbly balanced wine that smells of crushed red berries. The palate delivers plenty of plum, mulberry and red liquorice flavour and the tannins fill it out just perfectly. Drink now and through to 2020.

  92 Points

• 2016
• 2014
• 2013