CORIOLE Lloyd Reserve Shiraz - McLaren Vale, South Australia 2021 CARTON x 6 Bottles - PRE-RELEASE

Nestling between the Mount Lofty Ranges and the white, sandy beaches of the Gulf of St Vincent McLaren Vale is one of South Australia’s oldest, most picturesque wine regions. It is also one of the greenest, with its ongoing water use efficiency strategies and commitment to environmental sustainability.

It was here that the Lloyd family established their winery in 1969, on the predominantly terra rossa soils – soils favouring deep-coloured, well-structured red wines with great capacity for ageing. They released their first Shiraz in 1970, and now regularly win awards – indeed the Lloyd Reserve Shiraz is one of McLaren Vale’s greatest. Coriole have just started the certification process to organic – whilst they’ve farmed organically for many years they have now taken the decision to certify, a process they tell us feels harder and more time-consuming than the organic viticulture itself!

We were met by brothers Peter & Duncan Lloyd who are the second generation of the Lloyd family to look after the winery. After a tour of the vineyards it is clear to see they are doing some amazing work ensuring the vines and grapes are grown and picked in the very best conditions possible.

This quality fruit is then expertly crafted into beautiful, elegant, fruit-forward, balanced wines that will be a joy to drink as soon as they arrive but will last for 10-20 years in your cellar.

We tasted through an array of their wines from Chenin Blanc to Shiraz and these two reds stood out! They’re big but so well-balanced.

The wines will arrive sometime in 2025.

Critics...

"A shiraz of depth, power and impressive precision. Palate-staining dark fruit, licorice, kirsch and smoked meats. There is ample oak, and yet despite the tannic mettle and powerful extract, this is a wine of considerable poise and grace. In other words, it doesn't feel heavy. Superb length and glimpses of the many layers as they unravel with each visit back to the glass. Best after 2028.”
Ned Goodwin MW, JamesSuckling.com 96 points

"Ink black at its centre, deepest purple into the rim. Heady aromatics of blueberry, beef stock, black pepper and iodine. Palate is packed heavily with ripe and plush dark berry fruits, intertwined with peppery spices, dried herbs and bloody hints. Tannins wrap the body well, keeping it slightly compressed so tension and drive is maintained ensuring a phenomenal length to the finish "
Stuart Knox, The Real Review. 96 points

"From vines over 100 years old; matured in French oak, about 25% new. This feels the more ‘traditional’ of the 2021 reserve shiraz bottlings, with a typically dense core of dark fruits adorned with star anise, bitter chocolate, laurel, brewed coffee, turned earth and a gentle but apparent sheen of oak. It’s a powerful wine with substantial tannin, but the evolving stewardship of the younger Lloyds has been fine-tuning the portfolio for a little while now, with this suitably refined, if perhaps appealing to drinkers with a little nostalgia for headier times. Either way, it’s a keenly crafted and balanced wine of place."
Marcus Ellis, Wine Companion 96 points