2020 Ministry of Clouds Onkaparinga Rocks Shiraz, McLaren Vale

Destemmed for whole-berry fermentation; hand plunged daily, basket pressed to a mix of new and used French puncheons. Grenache with speed wheels on, oscillating between spicy/savoury fruit on the one hand and red and black cherry fruits on the other.

95 points James Halliday winecompanion.com.au

Planted into a steep southerly facing slope, The Chase Vineyard is characterised by a very thin veneer of grey loam, supported by a deep bedrock of sandstone, slaty siltstone and ancient rocks. Dating back to 650 million years of age this geology is some of the oldest planted to wine grapes anywhere in the world, both limiting yield, and lending a unique character to this wine. Harvested in the cool of night to retain freshness and delicacy, we gently de-stemmed to 100% whole-berries, and then fermented in traditional open vats. We hand plunged daily and tasted regularly to assess colour and extraction before basket pressing to a mixture of old and new French oak puncheons for 18 months maturation.

Bernice Ong and Julian Forwoood