2022 Max's Garden Shiraz

COLOUR | A very rich red hue.

AROMA | The aromas burst from the glass, soy, glazed berries, dried herbs, blackberries, blueberries, pepper, dark plum, earthy undertones, and hints of fresh game meats.

PALATE | On entry the wine is medium-bodied and very primary, with bright, fresh blue-fruited accents dominating, while lovely floral notes linger in the background. It builds weight on the palate, showcasing a prominent and taut acidity that provides a refreshing cleansing quality. The tannins present in the mid-palate carry an iron-like savoury twist adding depth. Today, the wine feels quite compressed and tight, a hallmark of its youth.
Secondary notes of red liquorice, frankincense, and nougat bring additional complexity, reflecting classic Heathcote characteristics and a true expression of the soil from which it originates. The standout feature is its elegant texture that unfurls beautifully, leaving a gentle acidity and very fine tannins. This wine embodies restraint and sophistication, exuding a feminine charm in its presentation. It’s designed for a long, slow evolution in the cellar; many of our earlier vintages of Max’s Garden are just now reaching their peak.

After our second La Niña year in a row, the vineyards received an above average winter rainfall, we then progressed into a very mild spring and an equally mild summer with only one day recorded over 40°C. Due to slightly later flowering, the vines were set up to mature at a slower than usual pace, this put the start of vintage back around 3 weeks on average, these mild ripening conditions allowed for slower than usual favour development, this matched with lower yield across the board has resulted in another quality harvest.

WINEMAKING | Fermented in a five tonne open top fermenter, with regular pump overs (twice daily over entire ferment) to control ferment, extract colour, flavour and tannins.

Average time ‘on skins’ was 10 days before the fermented juice was drained to tank and the pressings combined. The wine was then racked to barrel, where malolactic fermentation took place.
Max’s Garden was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

MATURATION | Aged for 16 months in 2-4 year old French oak hogsheads, with up to 20% new French oak.

CLOSURE | Diam Cork
VOLUME | 750ml
VARIETAL | Shiraz
ALCOHOL (% vol.) | 14.6%
REGION | Heathcote
SUB-REGION | Colbinabbin
VINE AGE | 22 years
ELEVATION | 400m
AVERAGE RAINFALL | 510mm
SOIL | Cambrian soil and red earth over
clay, rock and bluestone.