Made as part of the Hacking the Future of Shiraz project to celebrate Australia's first regenerative organic certified grapes. Grown at Inkwell Wines vineyard in McLaren Vale. The fruit was split between six winemakers. More information here.

The Little Frances McLaren Vale Shiraz was inspired by medium weighted, unfussy table wines of decades past.

Destemmed, but not crushed. Fermented with native yeast and pressed after only 5 days on skins. Fermentation finished in two used barrels and the wine was bottled in November without fining or filtration.

McLaren Vale is where I spent my first (and formative) winemaking years. This wine is inherently nostalgic for a region and grape very close to my heart. Seventeen years after my first vintage, the world has come full circle to inform my approach to this winemaking challenge.

56 dozen produced.

Max Allen wrote this article published January 15th, 2025 (AFR paywall)