Today’s Story: Coriole Vineyards
Coriole Vineyards is a third generation family owned and operated winery established by Hugh and Molly Lloyd in 1967 in the McLaren Vale region of Australia. At that time Coriole consisted of 12 acres of vineyards with Shiraz vines dating back to 1919, and the Lloyd’s released their first “Claret” wine in 1969. Though Shiraz is undoubtedly one of the varieties McLaren Vale is known for, Coriole spiced things up over the years by planting Sangiovese in 1985 which makes up 10% of the land under vine. Coriole consists of 25 different vineyards, made up of 65% Shiraz, 10% Sangiovese, 5% Chenin, 5 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Nero d’Avola, and the balance inclusive of Fiano, Grenache, Barbera, Mourvedre, and Montepulciano. The Lloyd family farms their vineyards adhering to organic practices and they are pending certification, while when it comes to winemaking itself they are largely traditional.
As the website is full of additional information, gorgeous pictures of the vineyards, and the full portfolio of wines, I encourage you to visit here.
Today’s Wine: 2016 Lloyd Reserve Shiraz
100% Shiraz; 14% ABV
The 2016 Lloyd Reserve Shiraz is opaque medium purple in color. Once this opens up, the nose showcases aromas of plum, blueberry, black cherry, cola, tobacco, graphite, cedar spill, tilled rocky soil, and cinnamon. On the palate, I get notes of spiced black plum, blackberry, black raspberry, black cherry, sweet tobacco, wet gravel, and light toasted oak. The purity of fruit here is striking. This is medium-bodied with medium (+) acidity, fine grained medium (+) tannins, and a long finish. 330 cases produced.
Price: $40 ($80 from the winery). I got this for an absolute steal and it’s worth every penny. This is a gorgeous, textbook modern Shiraz and even at $80 I would be tempted to give it a shot. I will certainly be buying more at $40!
