89 James Halliday - Australian Wine Companion

"Developed colour; some of the dark chocolate of neighbour McLaren Vale has crept into this medium-bodied wine, adding to the partly oak-derived, pleasantly savoury/mocha, characters." 89 Points - James Halliday - Australian Wine Companion

"Ripe and velvety, with enough density to balance the fine tannins, glowing with licorice-scented blackberry and cherry flavors. Drink now through 2011." 88 Points - Wine Spectator

"Inky ruby. Cherry-cola and dark berry preserve aromas are vivid and inviting. Lush and sweet in the mouth, with candied dark berry flavors and a subtle bitter chocolate quality. Becomes sweeter with air, taking a slightly candied turn and picking up zesty cracked pepper. I find the sweetness a bit distracting, but there's no excess fat or heat here, unlike other Aussie shirazes that ought to be served at IHOP." 88 Points - Josh Raynolds - International Wine Cellar

ESTATE:
"The Step Rd winery was built with dual goals; wine quality and environment protection. A 5,000 tonne winery its layout and operation were designed for efficiency and resource, and to be mindful of the occupational health and welfare of the staff, and the environment."

"All liquid waste is stored in plastic-lined dams to prevent seepage into the precious water table, before being treated to remove damaging chemicals and salinity, then recycled as irrigation on the vineyard."

"Similarly, all solid waste of skins, stalks and seeds are mulched and returned to the vineyard to enhance and improve the soil, as well as reducing the irrigation requirement by up to 25%. Step Rd Winery is not only the pinnacle of winemaking quality but is at the forefront in the conservation of the environment and that extremely valuable and diminishing resource - water." -Winery

REGION:
"Established as a premium wine-grape producing region as far back as 1860 Langhorne Creek is one of Australia’s oldest wine regions. Situated 70 km south east of Adelaide this stunning area is surprisingly cool due to its proximity to the Southern Ocean. Made up of largely flat plains sheltered by the Mount Lofty ranges with low winter-dominant rainfall and moderate daytime temperatures." -Winery

This wine was also scored 87 points by the Wine Advocate.