Wade Block 2 Shiraz
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 5–15 years from vintage release.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Slow-roasted lamb shoulder, grilled ribeye steak, mature hard cheeses
✨ Technical Specifications
Brokenwood’s Wade Block 2 Shiraz represents a masterful bridge between the Hunter Valley-based producer and the premium terroir of McLaren Vale in South Australia. Sourced from the Wade Block 2 vineyard, situated in the Willunga foothills, this wine showcases the rich, generous character of McLaren Vale Shiraz refined by Brokenwood's elegant, minimal-intervention winemaking philosophy. The vineyard, planted in 1994 on ancient clay soils over limestone, benefits from cooling gulf breezes that preserve natural acidity and structure. The wine typically undergoes fermentation in open-top vessels before aging in French oak puncheons and barriques, resulting in a complex profile of dark plum, blackberry, savory spice, and fine-grained, structured tannins.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1970 by Sydney solicitors James Halliday, John Beeston, and Tony Albert, Brokenwood Wines began on a ten-acre Pokolbin parcel initially intended as a cricket ground. Situated in the lower Hunter Valley against the Brokenback Mountain Range, the estate operates on alluvial loams and heavy clay soils, shaped by a warm, humid subtropical climate with cooling maritime breezes. While historically anchored by its renowned Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, Brokenwood established equivalent global renown for its pure, cellar-worthy white wines. The estate practices certified viticulture under Sustainable Winegrowing Australia standards, supervised in cellar operations by Chief Winemaker Stuart Hordern following Iain Riggs's transformative tenure. Renowned benchmark expressions include the single-vineyard and aged ILR Reserve Semillon—celebrated for low-alcohol tension, racy citrus acidity, and nuanced toast developments without oak maturation—alongside single-site iterations like Stanleigh Park Vineyard Semillon and cool-climate chardonnays from Beechworth and Orange.
🍇 Grapes
Shiraz
🍷 ABV
13.5% - 14.5%