Battle of Bosworth, Puritan Shiraz, McLaren Vale, South Australia 2021

“Organically grown and made with no added preservatives, the 2021 Puritan Shiraz is highly aromatic. There are lashings of Damson plums, fennel flowers, violets, red table grapes and raspberry pip. In the mouth, the wine is spicy, angular and herbal, with a throb of sappy red fruit through the middle of it all. Stylized, good.”-90WA

Battle of Bosworth makes single vineyard, organically grown wines from family vineyards located in McLaren Vale, South Australia. Their wines reflect the flavor, texture, purity, and balance of the area’s unique characteristics. Established in 2001 by Joch Bosworth and Louise Hemsley-Smith, Battle of Bosworth takes its name from the 1485 English Battle. McLaren Vale’s first organic producer, Bosworth Wines, celebrates 25 years of Organic vineyards. Converting to organics in 1995 was a radical and pioneering move that changed viticulture in the Vale forever. Organic wine sales in Australia have soared in recent years, making it hard to imagine that back in 1995 organic wine was rarely heard of.

The wines take their name from the original Battle of Bosworth, fought on Bosworth Field, Leicestershire, England in 1485. Here the last of the Plantagenet Kings, Richard the III, was slain by Henry Tudor, becoming the last king of England to die in battle. His death ended the War of the Roses. The roots of the Bosworth family’s battle were planted in the early 1840’s with their first vineyard in McLaren Vale. The modern-day Battle of Bosworth saw the conversion of ‘Edgehill’ vineyard to organic viticulture by Joch Bosworth in 1995. This McLaren Vale ‘Battle of Bosworth’ is symbolized on the label by the yellow Soursob (Oxalis pes caprae) which is used in the vineyard to combat other weeds. The idea behind Puritan is to make a young, vibrant early drinking red wine. They looked to the ‘vino Joven’ style of Spanish red wines for inspiration, which are unoaked and drunk in their infancy. Drink Puritan now, don’t stash it in your cellar! Bright red and dark fruits on the nose, as well as damsons, chocolate and blueberries on the palate wrapped up with fine grained subtle tannins. Drink with a juicy steak, if that’s your thing, or chill on a hot day and have it when you’ve had enough of white wines.