2023 Maxwell Ellen Street Shiraz, McLaren Vale

Richly fruited and enticing, the wine shows black and blueberry, vanillin oak, toasted spice, and floral characters on the nose, followed by a wonderfully weighted palate offering plump mouthfeel and fleshy texture. Superbly structured and expressed with waves of delicious flavours. Drink to 2038.

95 points Sam Kim for Wine Orbit

From 1953-planted vines in the lowest part of the home vineyard, beneath the winery and before the hedge maze and Chalk Hill Road (nee Ellen Street). The Minotaur has classic regional signposts, but this is perhaps the most reassuringly traditional of the Maxwell shiraz offerings. Made with care and nuance, of course, but it’s rich and a little decadent, a cascade of dark fruits, vanilla and sweet spices, with a silken milk chocolate feel to the palate, the structure doing enough but prioritising texture and generous ease. Drink to 2033.

93 points Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion, August 2026

What was originally known as Ellen Street runs along the southern boundary of the Maxwell vineyards. Situated between this road and the winery is a small block of Shiraz vines planted in 1953 that is the main source of grapes for this wine along with select other old parcels on the estate.

From the long and cool 2023 McLaren Vale season, each parcel of fruit was harvested and vinified separately, with the ferments including a large portion of whole berries for enhanced aromatics. The wine was matured for 18 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels.

The result is a bold, full-bodied red with deep, dark fruit and structural finesse that is a natural partner for chargrilled and smoky meats or rich bakes and casseroles.

About this producer

Maxwell Wines is a McLaren Vale family business established in 1979 by Mark Maxwell and managed today by his son Jeremy Maxwell. The wines form a part of a larger offer that also includes their famous meads and a fine-dining restaurant.

Fruit is sourced from 40 hectares of estate vineyards as well as other growers in the region. The varieties grown include regional heroes like Grenache Noir, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, but a with an increasingly wide selection of varieties originating in the southern reaches of Europe.