Penny'S Hill Cracking Black Shiraz Mclaren Vale

Penny's Hill sources fruit from low-yielding, dry-farmed Shiraz parcels across McLaren Vale's ironstone plateau—a subregion defined by shallow, iron-oxide-rich soils over limestone bedrock, with warm days and cooling afternoon sea breezes from Gulf St. Vincent. The vineyard's stress-farming philosophy concentrates phenolic ripeness into smaller berry loads.

The 'Cracking Black' expression undergoes wild fermentation in open-top wooden vessels, allowing native yeast populations to drive a slower, temperature-modulated extraction. Post-fermentation, the wine ages in French oak (mix of new and seasoned) for approximately 18 months, building secondary complexity without masking primary fruit character. The winemaking deliberately avoids over-extraction, preserving the wine's structural elegance despite McLaren Vale's ripe fruit profile.

This is a Shiraz that refuses the region's typical jammy excess—instead channeling the iron-mineral spine of the terroir into a wine with genuine savory grip. Drink 2024–2032.