Kirkland Signature Wine Connection

The 2006 vintage growing season was characterized by above-average winter and spring rainfall. This resulted in lush canopies in the vineyard and an exceptional fruit set. A mild summer was broken up by mercifully short periods of warmer conditions in late January and February. This resulted in earlier than usual development of flavour intensity, while grape sugar development was still quite low. As always, the Kirkland Signature is a regional blend made from Shiraz grown in McLaren Vale, The Barossa Valley and the Riverland of South Australia. The 2006 vintage has resulted in a wine of beautiful, fresh, rich, ripe fruit expression, deep-saturated scarlet-black color and soft, round, satisfying tannins.

There are 20 separate vineyard batches contributing to the 2006 Kirkland Signature Shiraz. The Riverland parcels were harvested during February while all the McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley parcels were harvested between mid March and mid-April. The individual batches were fermented separately, each being subsequently matured for 14 months in seasoned American oak, prior to blending. We left the blend to “marry” in tank for several months before bottling, with a very minimal filtration.

The wine presents itself with an opaque red-black color and a scarlet rim. The aroma is dense and closed at first, with plummy and briary fruit, complexed with a hint of sweet vanillin. The palate brings forth flavours of blackberry liqueur, tar and fragrant wood smoke, with hints of dark chocolate, licorice and molasses. We’re very pleased with the way that the natural, soft acidity interplays with the ripe tannin structure, producing a long, harmonious finish.