At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Region
- McLaren Vale, South Australia
- Vineyards
- Six family held vineyards
- Principal grapes
- Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet
- Additional varieties
- Tempranillo, Graciano and Sangiovese
- Farming
- Fully certified organic and biodynamic in 2011
- Named wine
- Now by Paxton Shiraz
The Producer
David Paxton is the founder and owner of Paxton. He built his reputation through growing and managing wine grapes, and the company remains family owned. Paxton was established in 1979.
Paxton describes its cellar work as minimal intervention winemaking. Minimal intervention limits additions and handling in the cellar, leaving the stated focus on fruit from the estate vineyards.
Place
McLaren Vale in South Australia is the sole source region for Paxton wines. All fruit comes solely from estate vineyards there. The holdings are family owned and spread across named vineyard properties within McLaren Vale.
Soil And Site
The EJ section sits in the back left corner of Thomas Block. The oldest vines there were planted in 1887. Thomas Block remains on original rootstock and is one of five surviving McLaren Vale vineyards planted during the 1800s.
Original rootstock means the vines grow on the roots first used for that planting. The EJ section therefore combines a named vineyard area, nineteenth century vines and surviving original rootstock.
Story
David Paxton built his reputation through more than 30 years of growing and managing wine grapes. In 2011, Paxton became fully certified organic and biodynamic.
The farming system uses no synthetic fertilisers or pesticides and relies on natural compost preparations to promote living soils. The certification and the stated farming practices define how Paxton works in the vineyard.
Vineyards And Cellar
The family holdings include Jones Block at 22 hectares, Quandong Farm at 18 hectares, Landcross Farm at 2 hectares, Gateway at 55 hectares and 19th at 12 hectares. Thomas Block is the historic planting described separately above.
Paxton chiefly focuses on Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet, while also making wines from Tempranillo, Graciano and Sangiovese. The cellar approach uses minimal intervention winemaking.
Wines
Paxton's range centers on Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet, with Tempranillo, Graciano and Sangiovese also represented. Now by Paxton Shiraz is a red wine from Fleurieu.
The 2022 bottling is made from 100% Shiraz and is unoaked. The broader range therefore sits beside a named red whose grape and cellar treatment are both plainly stated.
In The Glass
The Shiraz opens with blackcurrant and blue fruit, followed by black pepper, milk chocolate spice, purple flowers and fruit. On the palate, blue and black fruit carries fruit derived tannins and a firm acid backbone.
The wine is juicy, bright, fresh and lengthy. It also shows plush, generous fruit, supple powdery tannins and a smooth, juicy finish.
A Bottle To Understand It
Open Now by Paxton Shiraz first. It is 100% Shiraz from Paxton Vineyards, under the Fleurieu name and made without oak. The single grape format sits apart from the wider range, where Grenache, Cabernet, Tempranillo, Graciano and Sangiovese also appear.
Anecdote
In 2005 Paxton opened its cellar door at Landcross Farm in McLaren Vale. Landcross Farm is a historic 1860s sheep farm and the site of the original village. The property name also appears among Paxton's family held vineyards. Paxton sources all its wines solely from estate vineyards in McLaren Vale, while the cellar door operates at Landcross Farm. The opening date and the farm's older history are both attached to this McLaren Vale property. Paxton remains family owned.
Final Word
Paxton brings McLaren Vale estate fruit, a Shiraz led range and certified organic and biodynamic farming into a family owned wine company.
Sources
1. https://paxtonwines.com/about/ 2. https://paxtonwines.com/our-vineyards/ 3. https://winecompanion.com.au/wineries/south-australia/mclaren-vale/paxton 4. https://www.systembolaget.se/produkt/vin/7164401/ 5. https://www.camdouglasms.com/reviews/2022/11/26/paxton-now-mclaren-vale-shiraz-2022-south-australia 6. https://raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz/reviews/paxton-now-shiraz-2022-mclaren-vale/