95 Points - Marcus Ellis
Established in 1890, the iconic Kay Brothers Amery winery is one of Australia's most historically significant wineries - utilising many of the same practices it did during its formative years. Remarkably this McLaren Vale treasure remains in the founding family hands, with Colin Kay currently at the helm.
Unlike their flagship Block 6, the Hillside Shiraz allows Kay Brothers to pick various parcels of fruit so as to assemble the best blend possible for each vintage. The 2022 Kay Brothers Amery Hillside Shiraz is another full flavoured McLaren Vale Shiraz with plenty of class. The nose opens with alluring notes of smoky chacuterie, mocha, blackberry and dried herbs followed by a hint of cedar. The palate is dense and concentrated, with lashings of rich dark berry fruits, fine chocolate and an underlying earthiness.
"95 Points. A selection of blocks off the estate, with varying soils; 18 months élevage in American and French oak. This has some classic appeal, with forward fruit and a familiar lick of oak, but there’s also such polish and relative transparency to it. The fruit, from a cooler year, has a buoyant, vivid feel, absent heaviness and paired with an elegantly effective structural framework. Blackberry and cherry, freeze-dried raspberry, fine milk chocolate, vanilla, clove and allspice, iron and earth, dried scrubby herbs. This is engaging now, but the structure will see it age well, too. $49. 14% alc. Drink: 2025 - 2035. Screwcap"- Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion.
