The Piceous Lodestar Shiraz
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted lamb shanks, grilled ribeye steak, mature hard cheeses
✨ Technical Specifications
d'Arenberg's 'The Piceous Lodestar' Shiraz is a striking representation of McLaren Vale's diverse terroir, specifically showcasing the dark, brooding, and almost tarry ('piceous') characteristics that certain ancient soils impart to Shiraz. True to Chester Osborn's eccentric naming conventions, the 'Lodestar' represents a guiding light of intensity and depth. The wine is crafted using traditional, hands-on methods, including foot-treading in open fermenters and basket pressing, before aging in a mix of French and American oak. This minimal-intervention approach preserves the raw, muscular power and mineral-tinged complexity of the fruit, resulting in a wine of immense depth, dark fruit concentration, and savory complexity.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1912 by Joseph Osborn, d'Arenberg stands as an iconic pillar of McLaren Vale viticulture, stewarded today by fourth-generation chief winemaker Chester Osborn. The estate spans undulating coastal landscapes influenced by the moderating maritime winds of the Gulf St Vincent, resting upon complex, ancient geologies ranging from calcareous Terra Rossa to sandy loam and weathered limestone. Viticulture is rigorous and certified organic and biodynamic across all estate-owned and leased vineyards. While renowned for formidable Rhone-style reds, d'Arenberg's white winemaking upholds identical artisanal rigor: gentle whole-bunch basket pressing ensures minimal phenolics and purity of expression. From the racy, textural The Money Spider Roussanne and crisp The Dry Dam Riesling to the lusciously layered botrytised expressions The Noble Semillon and The Noble Botryotinia Fuckeliana, the wines epitomize balance, crystalline minerality, and vibrant natural acidity.
🍇 Grapes
Shiraz
🍷 ABV
14.5%