2021 McLaren Vale Syrah
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
A blend of three vineyards: Trueman, Hickinbotham, Gateway. Gateway certified biodynamic. Average age is 25 years. All ungrafted. 41% Clarendon (2 parcels): red clay loam over siltstone, clay and gravel. 59% Seaview (1 parcel): shallow grey/brown sandy loam over calcrete and base siltstone. Farmed at 2.5 t/acre. Very good vintage. 15%–35% whole bunches added to the fermenter depending on the parcel. Total whole-bunch percentage 28%. Remaining fruit destemmed (not crushed) and machine-sorted to remove shrivelled berries. Cold soaked for 3 to 5 days prior to the beginning of spontaneous fermentation (no yeast added). Gentle pumpovers, basket-pressed to oak after 15 to 20 days in fermenter. Mixture of new (47%) and older (53%) French oak puncheons (500 litre). All parcels aged separately on fine lees with minimal sulphite additions for 22 months. Blended and bottled early December 2022. Unfiltered. Screwcap. Deep crimson. Deeply aromatic with pure, peppery black fruit and a touch of violets. On the palate, intensely sweet and oaky. Generous, full-bodied but a bit of a caricature of Australian Shiraz though clearly high-quality ripe fruit. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Average 28% whole-bunch fermented. Aged in French oak (47% new) for 10 months. Bright purple colour. Equally bright black fruit on the nose, which manages to be typically compressed, in the South Australian style, but with just-picked freshness too. Brambles and black cherries, plus woody herbal notes. Sleek palate with soft tannins and warm alcohol that work well together to give fullness and lusciousness. Very well-integrated oak – a real marker of smart winemaking, to give the right oak spice without excess. Succulent, sophisticated and lengthy – another top vintage of Syrah from Bekkers. (RH)
The 2021 Clarendon Syrah hails from a Clarendon vineyard that the Bekkers have had a long-term relationship with (called Trueman vineyard). The view from virtually every hilltop in Clarendon drags your eyes down the scope of the rest of McLaren Vale and feels very "of the place" and on top of the world. Early morning, when the mist is still settling in the valleys and along the river, is highly recommended. It is gorgeous, in a nutshell. So, on the nose, this is incredibly aromatic, black like the depth of the night and littered with a splay of characters: potpourri, lavender, rose petals, graphite, coal dust, blackberry, mulberry, raspberry, licorice, clove and star anise. In the mouth, it is velvety in a granular way—I can really feel and interact with the tannins, without any sense of intrusion or domination. The length of flavor allows for a spooling display of the characters, and they really linger and hold in the mouth once the wine has gone. I can still remember it and taste it now, from my first sip at the beginning of this note. This wine is astoundingly good. I really can't say enough in support of the tannins: ductile, lithe, pluming and black. Savory. 800 bottles filled. $900 per three-pack. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
The 2021 Syrah Clarendon is sourced from the highly regarded Trueman Vineyard in Clarendon. This is the Bekkers team's first single-vineyard wine since 2011 and it is worth the wait. The 2021 is a beautifully manicured expression of McLaren Vale, reflecting both its cooler vintage and site. It has your classic kirsch and blackberry fruit tones, but layered on top is a smoky, volcanic edge all wrapped up in high-quality French oak. There's almost a Cornas feel here, but with a slicker overall style, killer balance and a svelte texture. This is far from a blockbuster and offers a much more cerebral experience, that smoky volcanic edge again emerging on the palate and extending through to a lengthy, silky finish. It is a wine to linger over and enjoy the detail. The tannins are open-knit but firm, suggesting this is probably more of a medium-term proposition.