EJ Shiraz

Our flagship wine, the EJ Shiraz is named after David Paxton’s mother and family matriarch Elizabeth Jean, and one of the five McLaren Vale ICONS OF WINE.

A limited release wine, the EJ Shiraz is sourced from vines originally planted in 1887 from our Thomas Block vineyard, which is renowned for producing fruit of exceptional flavour and natural balance. The Shiraz vines are amongst the oldest in McLaren Vale – and indeed the world –and are carefully hand pruned and thinned to ensure the low and uniform yields required for super premium Shiraz.

Although still very young, the wine shows classic McLaren Vale Shiraz characteristics, with an elegant, delicate front exploding with a concentration of savoury fruit, supported by full, silky tannins unique to old vine wine.

An exemplary Shiraz not to be missed!

• RegionMcLaren Vale, South Australia
• Vintage2022
• TypeRed Wine
• VarietyShiraz
• Variety Composition

  Organic | Biodynamic

• Vegan Friendly✔
• Organic Wine✔
• Volume750ml
• Alcohol Volume14%
• PH

  3.52

• Standard Drinks8.3
• Acidity

  6.05

• Sugar

  3.7

• ClosureScrewCap
• Vintage Notes

  Well, you thought 2021 was good but I bet you hadn’t heard about 2022 yet! With most of the country experiencing extreme La Niña conditions, McLaren enjoyed plenty of soil moistening rain through the winter but no extreme events. Budburst was a breath of new life after a long cool Winter and conditions were ideal up to flowering where things went a bit haywire. Crazy Melbourne type weather blew a lot of the flowers away before they could turn into fruit… but less fruit, more quality and coming off a bumper 2021 vintage it helped balance things out. We had a lovely cool summer, which helped ripening happen nice and slow, just the way we like it. Vintage was well spread out with fine days through most of March allowing us to choose when to pick and preserve stunning, natural acidity.

• Vineyard Notes

  137 year old vines from Thomas Block, Sand Road McLaren Vale

• Colour

  Luxe Crimson

• Bouquet

  Concentrated red fruits-think dark raspberries and blackcurrants-are lifted with an ethereal lightness. Hints of wild thyme and violets swirl together with blue flowers and a delicate touch of sandalwood. Earthy notes of tarragon and sage give the bouquet a herbal depth, while a dusting of black pepper adds a subtle spice.

• Palate

  This Shiraz's finesse and complexity are undeniable. The palate offers a precise interplay of concentrated red fruit that feels surprisingly weightless, balanced by fine, chalky tannins that evoke a sense of dusty earth and ancient vines. The wine's savoury notes of blood and sage interlace with the herbaceous lift of tarragon and thyme. A long and captivating finish, with a gentle grip and inky, layered texture. This wine is a study in contrast-powerful yet refined, dark yet luminous, with tannins that dance lightly but firmly across the palate.

• Peak Drinking / Cellaring Potential

  GOOD: Christmas 2024 - BETTER: Winter 2026-2030 - BEST: 2031-2040

• Food Matches

  Eye Fillet Steak or Beef Cheeks

• Vinification

  Hand-picked on two different occasions to ensure perfect balance of flavour, the grapes were destemmed and fermented as whole berries in small open fermenters with indigenous yeast. Delicately foot plunged daily for two weeks before soft pressing straight to elegant French oak barriques for malolactic fermentation and further ageing for 18 months. Each singular barrel was then tasted to determine the perfect blend before settling in bottle for a further 4 months before release. 70 cases made.

• Music Match

  MUSIC MATCH: Clair de Lune - Debussy

• Winemaker

  Ashleigh Seymour