Penny’s Hill Footprint McLaren Vale Shiraz 2012

The 2012 Penny’s Hill Footprint Shiraz proudly comes across as the estate’s ultimate luxury offering. Rich, powerful and highly aromatic, the still youthful 2012 Footprint offers a heady bouquet that fills a room with its breath. Pure blackberry fruit along with a complex mélange of cocoa, spice, vanilla and a touch of eucalyptus thoroughly captivate the nose. In the mouth, this “Footprint” leaves an even greater impression. Rich, bold and beautiful, the 2012 Penny’s Hill Footprint fills the mouth with juicy fruit, dark chocolate and spice tones, textured tannins, and impressive structure. Yet, with all of this wine’s flavor and power (14.9% alcohol), it retains a polished patina and great length. Enjoy this flagship offering now through 2025.

If one were in McLaren Vale, braised lamb shanks, grilled lamb chops, or roast leg of lamb rubbed with garlic, olive oil and wild herbs would likely be the number one choice to accompany the 2012 Penny’s Hill Footprint Shiraz to which anyone who cares for lamb would agree. For those not as enamored of lamb as our Australian brethren, fine cuts of beef, especially beef tenderloin and filet mignon, offer equally tasting companions to the 2012 Footprint. Consider serving a perfectly grilled filet or tenderloin with a reduced Shiraz glaze, sautéed mushrooms, grilled zucchini, and sweet potato mash. Ostrich, rabbit, venison and rich stews provide equally compelling accompaniments to the flagship Shiraz from Penny’s Hill. Fried Green Tomatoes encrusted with basil, Boursin cheese, and country ham in the company of tomato chutney provides a tasty side, as do roasted carrots and grilled sweet corn. A mid-week meatloaf or a grilled coriander encrusted tuna steak will be enhanced, too, when paired with the delicious 2012 Penny’s Hill Footprint Shiraz. Enjoy!

Australia continues to up its game, fashioning ever more exciting world class Shiraz. This is especially true in South Australia’s McLaren Vale, the source of many of the finest Shiraz producers in the world and increasingly the place to find bold, yet elegant Shiraz capable of ageing to perfection. Penny’s Hill is one such McLaren Vale gem, and the estate’s highly touted Footprint Shiraz ranks as the winery’s ultimate wine (this month’s feature).

Tony and Susie Parkinson acquired the 80-acre Penny’s Hill property in the rolling hills east of McLaren Vale in 1988. Penny’s Hill Vineyard is named for the hill on which it is sited, and is a prized location with a commanding view of the nearby Gulf of Saint Vincent and ideal terroir for the cultivation of Shiraz. The estate’s Shiraz vines are planted in a unique narrow row formation to maximize vine productivity and quality. In addition, Penny’s Hill also belongs to the Sustainable Australia Winegrowing and Entwine Australia sustainability programs which minimize environmental impacts and encourage best viticultural practices – all evident in the quality of the wine

Penny’s Hill fashions several world class Shiraz wines as well as limited amounts of white wines from nearby vineyards. Penny’s Hill Footprint Shiraz is the estate’s top offering. In each vintage, the winery “footprints” individual parcels, which are agreed to be the ultimate Shiraz rows, to create the Footprint Shiraz.

McLaren Vale is one of South Australia’s most important wine growing appellations. It is also a region rich in history and rightfully covets its reputation as the birthplace of the Australian wine industry. Enhanced by its proximity to Adelaide as well as its superb climate, Mediterranean beauty, food, wine, and art culture, McLaren Vale thrives as a viticultural area as well as an important tourist destination. Most importantly, McLaren Vale is renowned for the quality, power and grace of its wines, many of which emanate from some of the world’s oldest vines.

Nestled between rolling hills and a picturesque coastline, McLaren Vale’s Mediterranean climate has created ideal conditions for the cultivation of red varietals, especially Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. Moreover, McLaren Vale has become a leader in environmentally sustainable viticulture and the go-to Australian wine region for polished, powerful Shiraz based wines.

Whether we refer to this great varietal as Shiraz or Syrah, we are essentially talking about the same illustrious grape. Shiraz has been grown for centuries in the Rhône Valley of France, where it is responsible in all or in part for many of the greatest red wines of France (Hermitage, Côte Rôtie and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, specifically). The grape’s exact origin remains a matter of debate, yet historians agree that it was brought to Europe from the Middle East, most likely from the area around the ancient city of Heraz whose name closely resembles that of Shiraz. From there Shiraz somehow made its way to the south of France and centuries later to Australia, California, and around the world. Increasingly, Australia has become the source of many of the planet’s finest old vine Shiraz wines, with South Australia’s Barossa and McLaren Vale leading the way.