Lloyd Brothers Shiraz Western Block 2 2021
- 96
- $90
- Drink by: 2024-2039
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This is the prestige release from the team with the fruit, from this wonderful vintage, coming from Block 2 on the Western Block of their McLaren Vale estate. The vineyard was planted in 1998 and fermentation is in open fermenters of varying sizes with fifteen to twenty days on skins. Basket pressing to new and older French oak and then sixteen months maturation, before barrel selectio with 30% of the oak was new. Production was less than 150 dozen. This is a cracker. An inky black colour with impressions of a vibrant purple. The nose gives us chocolate, mocha, leather, cassis, mulberries, spices, truffles and impressively integrated oak. There is good complexity here and fine balance. A fine boned style of McLaren Vale Shiraz, with good refinement, though full-flavoured. Seamless, with length and silky tannins. Love it. Ten to fifteen years.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
