This exquisite wine has been handcrafted from some of the oldest, dry grown Shiraz vineyards in the Clare Valley. These old vines produce small yields of premium quality fruit with concentrated flavours and balanced acidity. Handpicked at optimal ripeness, the winemaker Justin Ardill uses traditional winemaking techniques of 10 day open fermentation and hand plunging before gently pressing to extract maximum colour, flavour, and tannin from the berries. Maturation in new 2/3 French oak hogsheads for 30 months has allowed the development of smooth balanced oak characteristics.
RCV wines are of limited release and are only made when the vintage is judged to be of the absolute highest quality seen for many years.
Renowned South Australian artist Tom Gleghorn OAM was our artist in residence for the 2010 vintage and has created this beautiful artwork for our labels which are individually numbered and add to our collection of three Gleghorn labels. Inspired by our winemakers' late father David Ardill, ‘Epitaph’ is your final word.
This is a rich, full-bodied wine showing layers of succulent dark fruit and ripe plum flavours with cigar box, aromatic spice, and a touch of vanilla. The wine finishes with well-integrated oak and a smooth, silky mouth feel with firm lingering tannins.
Cellar to 2030.
Alcohol Level : 16%
Awards
92/100, Huon Hooke, The Real Review, 2nd February 2019
“...A very ripe, high-octane, whopper shiraz, which manages to be soft and supple in the mouth with a luxurious feel and remarkably good balance...”
93 POINTS ~ James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2019
92 POINTS ~ James Halliday
5 STARS, TOP IN CATEGORY $100-$200, 3RD PLACE OVERALL, Winestate Magazine, 2019 World’s Greatest Shiraz Challenge
5 STARS, TOP IN CATEGORY $100-$200, 4TH PLACE OVERALL, Winestate Magazine, 2018 World’s Greatest Shiraz Challenge
"It beggars belief why 90+yo vines are turned into a high-octane thumper.
Maybe, it has a strong fan base, hopefully with a designated driver.
And yet, hidden among the largely overripe and slightly porty flavours are elements of loveliness: a squirt of brightness, a lushness across the full-bodied palate but all petering out to drying tannins and a blowtorch of heat.
The wine opens up with a decent airing but not enough to for a salvage mission."
Jane Faulkner
Published 13 August 2021
