2018 S.C. Pannell Shiraz Field Street McLaren Vale 750 ml

It’s hard to find a more acclaimed Australian winemaker than Stephen Pannell. 

Jancis Robinson said his wines “deserved a spotlight of their own”—then wrote 1000+ words praising them in 2015. 

Decanter named him one of the 50 most influential contributors to the wine world. 

Australian wine authority James Halliday’s Wine Companion crowed, “The future of Pannell is limitless, the icon status of the label already established.”

We couldn’t resist this rock star’s Field Street Shiraz. It has the succulence, boldness, and structure that made Australian Shiraz famous, plus beautiful back-fruit energy and flourishes of spice and sandalwood. That elegance and intrigue earned 95 points from Wine Companion and inspired Wine Advocate to call it “a stupendous effort.” 

Field Street Shiraz is the bottling Pannell makes from the winery’s backyard, a nine-hectare property whose vines average nearly 40 years of age. Just four miles from the Gulf of St. Vincent, he says it’s the heart of his Halliday-five-star winery.

McLaren Vale’s Mediterranean climate and topographic diversity are perfect for concentrated, complex Shiraz that shines even without its typical partners, Grenache and Mourvèdre. On west-facing slopes, Pannell’s vines absorb afternoon sun and cool breezes off the bay, developing ripe flavor and bright acidity that burst forth in this bottle. 

You could spend an evening contemplating it, but considering the wine’s one-glass-after-another charisma, Wine Companion put it best: “Just enjoy it.”