Hedonist Shiraz 2018 - McLaren Vale, Australia

Organic - Currently undergoing NASAA certification

93/100 Ned Goodwin MW (Halliday Wine Companion)
Bronze The Wine Front
92/100 The RealReview Stuart Knox , Ranked #44 of 124 (2019 vintage)
95/100 Jane Faulkner Wine Companion (Halliday Wine Companion) (2017 vintage)
94/100 James Halliday Wine Companion (Halliday Wine Companion) (2016 vintage)
90/100 The Wine Front (2016 vintage)
92/100 The Wine Front (2015 vintage)

95/100 Gold Medal Decanter World Wine Awards
92/100 Gold Medal Decanter World Wine Awards (2019 vintage)
Bronze Medal Decanter World Wine Awards (2017 vintage)
92/100 Gold Medal Decanter World Wine Awards (2015 vintage)

Stuart Knox "Firm, gravelly tannins carry tension and give great drive to a long and dry finish........Mulberries, bay leaf and morcilla aromatics. Medium to full, with a meaty-savoury note that drives the depth. " (2019 vintage)

Ned Goodwin MW "As delicious across this sort of winemaking regime as shiraz can possibly be in the (McLaren) Vale (region of South Australia): a little while-bunch; a lotta' whole berry. Four-weeks on skins and 12 months in a a melody of French oak, different ages and sizes. Violet and iodine scents. Joyously lifted. Then blue to mulberry and molten cherry. Olive, anise and pepper-grind, all cladding the gently swathe of pulpy tannins. A lovely pulse. Real flow and good length." (2018 vintage)

Jane Faulkner "Estate certified organic/biodynamic fruit kick-starts this excellent shiraz that's fresh, buoyant and drinkable by the bucket-load. Restraint says by the glass and as this is a restrained McLaren Vale red, fair enough. Savour the poppy, red plums and pomegranate, threads of spice, the appealing grainy tannins and more besides." (2017 vintage)

Alex Hunt MW, Roger Jones, Anthony Rose "....an intriguing wine, with real poise, balance and length. It is crying out for Italian food, and is well worth trying" (2015 vintage)

James Halliday "Gold medal International Shiraz Challenge '18 no surprise. Great value.......sophisticated winemaking has resulted in a full-bodied shiraz that will be very long lived, feeding on its balance and length, firm tannins that are nonetheless ripe one specific of its many building blocks. " (2016 vintage)

Australian Wine Companion "Walter Clappis has been making wine in McLaren Vale for 40 years, and over that time has won innumerable trophies and gold medals, including the prestigious George Mackey Memorial Trophy with his '09 The Hedonist Shiraz, chosen as the best wine exported from Australia that year. Daughter Kimberly and son-in-law James Cooter (both with impressive CVs) support him on the winery floor. The NASAA-certified organic and biodynamic estate plantings of shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo and grenache are the cornerstones of the business."

The Hedonist is a NASAA certified organic and biodynamic winery in the heart of South Australia's famous McLaren wine district. Esteemed owner Walter Clappis is Australia's only winemaker to win one of Australia's most prestigious wine awards, The Dan Murphy Trophy, three times. The Hedonist adopts a minimalistic and organic approach to winemaking, prioritising biodynamics and sustainability. The Hedonist is a multi-award winning winery.

The McLaren Vale wine region is located approximately 35 kilomters south of Adelaide. It is by far the most important wine-producing area in the Fleurieu zone and is also regarded very highly throughout Australia and the world. A wide array of grape varieties can be successfully grown here. The best wines come from very old vines, some planted more than 100 years ago. These are prized for producing low yields of extremely concentrated fruit. Shiraz leads the region's list of award-winning wines, making McLaren Vale a favorite place to grow this grape. Cabernet Sauvignon is another prominent grape variety, along with Grenache and Mourvedre, which, together with Shiraz, make up some of the most acclaimed GSM blends here. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate McLaren Vale's white grape varieties, with a plethora of other regional and international specialties such as Merlot, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Viognier also making their mark.

Shiraz, also known as Syrah is a popular red wine. Though the spiritual homeland of this red grape is France, Syrah has been planted throughout the world to great success. It expresses itself differently depending on the climate, soil and regional style.

Syrah is typically bold and full-bodied, with aromatic notes of smoke, black fruit and pepper spice. Stylistically, it can be round and fruity, or dense and tannic. And in warmer New World regions like Australia, Syrah is most often be called Shiraz.

Winemakers who work in cooler-climate growing regions, both in the Old World and New World, tend to call their wines Syrah. The most famous examples come from the northern Rhône Valley of France, notably Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie. In the New World, in regions like Sonoma Coast, California; Yarra Valley, Australia; and parts of Chile, the wines are called Syrah because they emulate the leaner, acid-driven, savory styles of the Old World French classics.

Shiraz tends to come from warmer growing climates, namely the South Australian regions of Barossa, McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills. Stylistically, these wines are lush, fruit-forward examples that embody the warmer, sunnier climate. Shiraz is so important to Australian viticulture that it is the most planted grape variety in the majority of Australian vineyards and has become virtually synonymous with the country's wine regions, and in particular the Barossa Valley.