Mitchell Wines McNicol Shiraz Clare Valley 2009

Blended from a number of top sites from around the Clare Valley, with the aim being to select grapes best suited to ageing, the wine was fermented with natural yeasts, mostly in whole bunches, and then aged in tight-grained 500 litre French oak barrels for twenty four months. The wine then sits in bottle in the Mitchell cellars until they determine it is ready for release. Wine lovers should really take advantage of these older releases – they are not that common and few are as well priced. 
For those wondering, the ‘McNicol’ is from Andrew Mitchell’s father – Peter McNicol Mitchell. 

The colour here is a deep maroon. Even though there is certainly complexity present, the wine is still amazingly fresh and bright. It certainly belies its age and still has plenty of time ahead of it, if wanted. The flavours here are chocolate, plums, spices, black fruits and red cherries. Good balance right through to fine, silky yet slightly chewy tannins. It exhibits really good length and surprising power. This is a superb, mature, complex example of a Clare Shiraz, one which still has a future.