The Kay Brothers McLaren Vale Amery Vineyards grace the rolling foothills of the Southern Mt. Lofty Ranges. Established in 1890 by Australian born brothers, Herbert and Frederick Kay, the Heritage listed Kays Amery Winery celebrated its first grape crush in 1895 and is the oldest McLaren Vale winery still in founding family hands. Today, the family continues the winemaking traditions in the heritage listed cellars.
Kay Brothers utilise a traditional method of pressing out their wines. Their Celestial & Coq basket press was installed and ready for use in the 1928 vintage to replace older hydraulic and manual screw presses that had proved unreliable. For their winemaker, it is still the preferred of their two presses. The basket press reflects Kay Brothers traditional winemaking philosophy. The grapes are pressed gently, resulting in softer tannins and cleaner juice - as the juice is filtered through the mass of pulp while draining through the basket. Whilst this process is labour intensive and time consuming, Kay Brothers are confident it translates to superior quality.
Overview
For well over a century Shiraz has played the main role in producing wines of outstanding quality, depth and longevity at Kay Brothers. The Basket Pressed Shiraz continues this tradition.
The vineyard has a predominately eastern exposure. Soil varies from sandy loam at the top of the hill to heavier loam and clay as it transcends down the hill towards the creek. The dry climate forces the vine roots, ranging from 15 – 20 years, to delve into the ancient underlying geology consisting of quartz, ironstone and limestone. Fruit was crushed, destemmed and then hand plunged utilising open top fermentation. Followed by traditional basket pressing in our 1928 basket press. The wine then matured in a combination of American, French and Eastern European oak barrels for 14 months.
The Basket Pressed Shiraz provides a fruit driven, full bodied McLaren Vale Shiraz in true Kay Brothers style.
James Halliday Wine Companion Magazine April/May
‘An archetypal, full-bodied wine proclaiming its varietal and regional breeding with foghorn loudness. Multiple layers of black fruits and slabs of dark chocolate wreathed in ripe, balanced tannins. Will be exceptionally long lived thanks as much to its balance as its power’.
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WINERY RATING |
James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2016 |
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