Paxton Quandong Farm Shiraz 2024: Tasting Notes

WINE STYLE → Firm Structure, Long Finish

A more detailed, savoury take on McLaren Vale Shiraz, with plenty of fruit but just as much spice, herbal nuance and structure. Expect musk, boysenberry, black cherry and plum, then juniper, rosemary blooms and a hint of sandalwood incense. The palate is medium-bodied and dry, with a grainy, cocoa-dusted tannin mesh that gives the wine shape and length without turning hard. It’s intense, but never clumsy — more site-driven and finely tuned than plush.

Highlights

• Certified organic, certified biodynamic, vegan suitable and no added preservative
• Crafted by Paxton Wines — one of McLaren Vale’s leading biodynamic estates
• Boysenberry, black cherry, juniper, rosemary and savoury spice
• 100% single-vineyard Shiraz matured in French oak
• 95 points Halliday; 94 points Wine Showcase Magazine; 93+ Wine Orbit; 93 The Real Review
• 14.0% ABV

Tasting Notes

This is a layered Shiraz with both perfume and grounding. Musk, boysenberry and black cherry bring an almost vivid purple-fruit energy, while juniper, rosemary bloom, smokehouse notes and savoury spice pull the wine into more serious territory. The palate has brightness and drive first, then dark fruit, earthy detail and a fine, grainy structure. It’s not a soft, easy-flowing Shiraz — it has shape, tension and a long, brooding finish that lingers beautifully.

Winemaking

This single-vineyard Shiraz was hand picked, with 40% retained as whole bunches and the remainder delicately destemmed. Fermentation was carried out with 100% indigenous yeast in small open fermenters, with careful plunging and pump-overs across 10–15 days to extract colour, flavour and tannin. The wine then spent 12 months in new and mature French oak puncheons before blending and bottling, which helps explain both the spice detail and the very composed structure.

Vineyard & Vintage

Quandong Farm was the first Paxton vineyard to adopt biodynamic farming, and it remains one of the estate’s most distinctive single-vineyard sites. The 2024 release reflects a low and slow season, following a cold, wet winter, one of the wettest springs in 30 years, windy conditions through flowering and summer, and a ripening period that ran about three weeks late. Paxton notes that the resilience of its organic and biodynamic vineyards was crucial, and the resulting fruit shows strong acidity, brightness, complex layers and excellent longevity.

Why We Love It

This is the kind of Shiraz that rewards a little attention. It has real depth and character, but the structure is what makes it memorable — grainy tannin, savoury spice and a bright line through the middle rather than simple richness. It feels very much like a wine for drinkers who want detail, site and personality in the glass.

Food Pairing

The structure and savoury spice make this especially good with deeper, slower flavours and dishes that can meet its grip and length. It also suits earthy vegetarian cooking surprisingly well.

Try matching this wine with →

• Beef cheek ragu — Find a Recipe
• Roast mushrooms with polenta — Find a Recipe
• Lamb shoulder with rosemary — Find a Recipe

Mood or occasion to match this wine…

A very good bottle for cooler evenings, roast-heavy dinners and the kind of night where you want one red with enough detail to keep the table interested. It feels quietly serious, but still generous enough to share.

Cellaring

This has a long future ahead of it. Paxton suggests it drinks well now, improves through 2027 and can cellar through to 2038, which makes it one of the more age-worthy wines in the range.

Producer

Paxton is one of McLaren Vale’s most respected biodynamic producers, founded by viticulturist David Paxton in 1979. The family farms estate vineyards under certified organic and biodynamic principles, with a strong focus on biodiversity, soil vitality and long-term vineyard resilience. That philosophy becomes especially visible in the single-vineyard wines, where site character is allowed to take the lead. Quandong Farm has particular significance within the estate because it was the first vineyard Paxton converted to biodynamics, and this wine carries that heritage with confidence — structured, expressive and deeply tied to place.

Related Wines To Try →

If you enjoy this more structured, site-driven Shiraz style, these are excellent next bottles to explore:

• Same producer, museum-release contrast with bottle age — Paxton Quandong Farm Shiraz 2019
• Same producer, broader regional Shiraz expression — Paxton MV Shiraz
• Same producer, brighter no added preservative Shiraz — Paxton NOW Preservative Free Shiraz

FAQ

What does Paxton Quandong Farm Shiraz 2024 taste like?

It tastes of musk, boysenberry, black cherry and plum, with juniper, rosemary blooms, savoury spice and a little earthiness. The palate is dry and medium-bodied, with bright drive up front and a long, structured finish.

Is this wine dry or sweet?

It is definitely dry. Organic Wine lists residual sugar at around 2 g/L, so although the fruit is expressive, the finish is firmly dry.

What is the body and tannin level like?

This sits around medium-bodied, but it carries more structure than many plush McLaren Vale Shiraz styles. The tannins are grainy, detailed and fairly pronounced, giving the wine shape and cellaring potential.

Does this wine contain preservatives or sulphites?

Organic Wine lists this current release under No Added Preservative, alongside certified organic and biodynamic credentials. Like all wines, it may still contain very small naturally occurring sulphites from fermentation.

Is Paxton Quandong Farm Shiraz organic, biodynamic and vegan?

Yes. Organic Wine lists it as certified organic, certified biodynamic and vegan suitable, with no fining agents used, which lines up very neatly with Paxton’s vineyard-led approach.

How should I serve this wine?

Serve it around 16–18°C in a large red wine glass. A decent decant of 30–60 minutes is worth doing here, because the whole-bunch spice and more savoury notes really open with air.

Can I cellar it?

Yes — very comfortably. Paxton’s own drinking window suggests now is good, 2027 is better, and it can cellar out to 2038 if stored well.

What foods pair best with it?

It’s excellent with lamb shoulder, beef ragu and richer roast dishes, especially where herbs and slow cooking bring savoury depth. Earthy vegetarian dishes with mushrooms or polenta also work beautifully because the wine has structure rather than just fruit weight.

Who will love this wine most?

This is ideal for drinkers who like Shiraz with detail, savoury complexity and a more architectural shape than a soft, plush style. If you enjoy more structured, cellar-worthy Shiraz, this is a strong fit.

How long will it last once opened?

Recork it and keep it cool, and it should stay in very good form for 3–4 days. In fact, the spice and savoury detail often show even better on day two.

(SKU: PX_QUA_CV)