Dog Ridge Original Plantings Shiraz 2004
Style: Red Wine
Variety: Shiraz
Closure: Screwcap
Dog Ridge Original Plantings Shiraz 2004
Camberwell
Burke Road
Camberwell VIC 3124
Australia
Producer: Dog Ridge
Country: Australia
Region: McLaren Vale
Vintage: 2004
Critic Score: 97
Alcohol: 15.0%
Size: 750 ml
Drink by: 2026
Dog Ridge is one of my favourite McLaren Vale wineries, producing superb wines from their 1940s plantings of Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon, and value-packed wines at the other end of the spectrum.
"This wonderful single vineyard wine is produced from a block of low-yielding 60 year-old shiraz vines. Deep purple in colour, the wine is a veritable tour de force. Perfumed aromas of blackcurrant, delicate spice, espresso coffee and a hint of dark chocolate pervade the senses and herald the flavour packed palate. Concentrated and rich, the palate has layers of dark berry fruits, hints of black pepper and vanilla, and lingering soft tannins. Beautifully balanced, a wine of great intensity and exceptional length." Nick Munday
Expert reviews
"This wonderful single vineyard wine is produced from a block of low-yielding 60 year-old shiraz vines. Deep purple in colour, the wine is a veritable tour de force. Perfumed aromas of blackcurrant, delicate spice, espresso coffee and a hint of dark chocolate pervade the senses and herald the flavour packed palate. Concentrated and rich, the palate has layers of dark berry fruits, hints of black pepper and vanilla, and lingering soft tannins. Beautifully balanced, a wine of great intensity and exceptional length." Nick Munday, Canterbury Wines - 97 points
About the winery
Dog Ridge is a small family owned venture that started when Dave and Jen Wright moved from Adelaide to McLaren Flat to become vignerons. They purchased a 40-acre vineyard on ancient Kurrajong soil that boasted several 1940s plantings of Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon that were used as a source for Château Reynella fortified wines. Fruit from these vines form the basis of their flagship wines today.
The 'Dog Ridge' is a very old grapevine rootstock no longer used in modern viticulture as it is too vigorous. The name caught Dave and Jen's attention and combined with the fact that they are besotted with curly coated retrievers and the main house is on a sandy ridge overlooking the vines… well, the name makes sense.
In 2005, Jen's son Fred Howard and his wife Sarah joined the team, with the shared ambition of making great McLaren Vale wines. Before long the Cellar Door opened, and shortly after that the art gallery.
Today Dog Ridge produces a range of boutique wines from 90 acres of premium McLaren Vale vineyards. The Wrights are proud of Dog Ridge's environmental record, having received property management awards for sustainability and minimal impact on the environment. These awards recognise their efforts at incorporating biodiversity into the vineyards, the recycling of wine barrel oak and green waste, and the conservation of precious water resources.
South Australia
South Australian is responsible for more than half the production of all Australian wine. It is home to more than 900 wineries across 18 wine regions. The regions are Adelaide Hills, Adelaide Plains, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Coonawarra, Currency Creek, Eden Valley, Kangaroo Island, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Mount Benson, Mount Gambier, Padthaway, Riverland, Robe, Southern Fleurieu, Southern Flinders Ranges and Wrattonbully.
Many of the well-known names in the South Australian wine industry established their first vineyards in the late 1830s and early 1840s. The first vines in McLaren Vale were planted at Reynella in 1839 and Penfold's established Magill Estate on the outskirts of Adelaide in 1844.
South Australia has a vast diversity in geography and climate which allows the State to be able to produce a range of grape varieties - from cool climate Riesling in the Clare and Eden Vallies to the big, full bodied Shiraz wines of the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. Two of Australia's best-known wines, Penfolds Grange and Henschke Hill of Grace, are produced here. There is much to discover in South Australia for the wine lover.