Kay Brothers Winery is renowned in Australia for being the
oldest McLaren Vale winery still owned by the original family. Yet although the operation dates back to
1890, this is a winery that is decidedly not resting on its past laurels.
Duncan Kennedy, Chief Winemaker of Kay Brothers Winery,
visited New York City this fall to attend a media dinner with some of his
current releases. Duncan is a seasoned
winemaker who began apprenticing in Padthaway vineyards as he studied for his viticulture
degree. After a few years of consulting in South Australia, he shifted focus and
locales, beginning to make wine in Okanagan Valley, Bordeaux, and Napa. That was followed by post-graduate studies in
Oenology and then working in cellars in McLaren Vale.
Duncan stepped up to chief winemaker and viticulturalist at Kay
Brothers in 2015. In describing the region,
he told us that it’s 50 kilometers south of Adelaide and has a Mediterranean climate,
with breezy hills and nooks and valleys.
It’s clear his start in viticulture is reflected in his
careful vineyard management. He shared
that he “spends most of my time in the vineyard.” He’s always checking on the vines and the
grapes to ensure “that they’re in a happy place.”
The wines Duncan brought with him included Shiraz as well as
– unexpectedly – Grenache. In the
McLaren Vale, 50% of plantings are Shiraz, 15% are Cabernet Sauvignon, and a
modest 5% are Grenache. Yet the grape is
clearly one of Duncan’s passions, as he admitted, “I’m a bit obsessed with Grenache.”
He
conveyed his pride in the results, stating, “We’re definitely making some very
exciting wine.”
The wines tasted that night were uniformly impressive, and included:
Kay Brothers Amery Basket Pressed Grenache 2017 – The basket
press is used for crushing grapes in a less rough way. Duncan told us the soil
for this wine is sandy and produces a more perfumed wine. The basket pressed wines have soft tannins and
the gentle treatment is aimed at preserving that freshness. I found that this lively wine offered rosemary
and blackberry on the nose with sour cherry on the midpalate and a long
finish. $39.99
Kay Brothers Amery Basket Pressed Shiraz 2016 – A well-balanced
wine with spicy pepper and ripe black cherries on the nose and palate. The tannins are well integrated and the length is good. $39.99
Kay Brothers Amery Hillside Shiraz 2015 – Grown on the
Hillside vineyard that was originally planted in 1892, this wine was held back
for two years, aging in American and French oak, and was bottled in 2017. Duncan regards this wine as a more
traditional McClaren Vale-style Shiraz. A
big Shiraz, this had black cherry and blackberry fruit character with a
perfumed nose of cherries and herbs.
$59.99
Kay Brothers Amery Griffon’s Key Grenache 2017 - A big wine, which offered flavors of black
pepper, thick skinned-black plums, and ripe raspberries. It had a plush
mouthfeel, with elegant smoothness.
Duncan sources this wine from two different parts (top and bottom) of
the same sloped vineyard. A terrific
expression of Grenache. $59.99
Kay Brothers Amery Cuthbert Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 – Named for
one of the family owners of a past generation, this was a complex, big wine
with blackberry, plums, balsamic, and black olives mingling on the palate. Duncan
shared, “Cabernet doesn’t like to be too stressed,” and told us that these
vines are shaded by timber. A beautiful,
expressive wine with a long finish. $119
Kay Brothers Amery Block 6 Shiraz 2015 – Duncan told us that this wine was grown in “a
dryer year.” While the resulting crop
was small, the grapes offered intensity.
The 2015 Block 6 Shiraz had a spicy nose with black fruit. On the palate, there was huge black fruit
flavor as well as pepper and spiciness.
Fine tannins were well integrated and the wine had huge length as well
as a touch of minerality. $119
Kay Brothers Amery Block 6 Shiraz 2017 – In contrast to the
2015, this vintage was during a wet year with thriving canopies. The wine was full-bodied, with gorgeous blackberry
and mulberry fruit, herbal notes of rosemary.
It was elegant and smooth with good length. As we complimented the Block 6, Duncan told us
it “reflects the giving nature of the vintage.”
$119
Tasting through a few vintages that had such different
weather conditions is a real test of a winery’s ability to produce quality wine
consistently. These Kay Brothers
releases are all solid, delicious wines that are a testament to the care both
in the vineyard and the cellar.
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