Description

Peter Schell and his French born wife Magali Gely started Spinifex back in 2001 – in a short time they have made a name for themselves as producers of fine elegant and sophisticated Barossa red blends. Peter hails from NZ originally but he and Magali are firm Barossaphiles with a great love of the ancient Barossa soils (100 million years old whereas in Bordeaux the soils date back to the last iceage 40,000-100,000 years) and the old vines. Inspired by time spent working many vintages in the south of France their love is the local varieties there – Mataro, Grenache, Shiraz and Cinsault. What sets them apart is their attention to detail and total hands on winemaking.

They are not interested in making blockbuster wines – they seek finesse and complexity (aromatics, line and length) in their wines…Sourcing small parcels of fruit from small family growers and their use of multiple small fermentation tanks allows them to ferment small parcels separately rather than pooling them – a very French technique – which means more ingredients to play with and absolute precision for blending.

‘Pete and his partner Magali Gely operate what I think is the best new-wave of small-scale Barossa wine companies to emerge at the beginning of the 21st century… These weren’t big, blockbuster, showy wines designed to impress. They were wines that managed to take the best of the Barossa’s sometimes forgotten varietal traditions and fuse them onto a very European flavour sensibility.‘ Max Allen, The future makers.

‘It seems that Spinifex wines can do no wrong.’ Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front.

This is Pete Schell’s higher-toned, red-fruited and more floral expression of the Barossa—a yin to Bête Noir’s yang, you could say. To this end, Schell sources from up to 10 different plots throughout the Barossa and Eden Valleys from “generally higher, cooler sites, where earlier harvesting gives wines with bright, savoury, spicy fruit expression and a textural freshness”, according to Schell. Vine ages vary from 25 to 100 years.

As with most of his reds, Schell employed various techniques, with different proportions of bunches and berries. Soft extraction was the aim, and the ferments were allowed to relax with little agitation. Pete sums up the reasoning behind his gentle approach simply: “It’s easier to overdo it than underdo it in the Barossa.” Short macerations were followed by ferments in stainless steel, concrete and mostly large, seasoned oak for eight months. It’s another deeply cast yet remarkably elegant Barossa red from this master of balance. Dark fruits, spice, earth and meat are matched by vibrant acidity and fine, sinewy tannins. Terrific value as per!

Newly released … review for 2022 – 95 points, Dave Brookes for Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion “Syrah from both the Barossa and Eden Valleys with pure, lush, dark plum, blueberry and mulberry fruit tones with hints of exotic spice, struck flint, dried herbs, wildflowers, crushed granite, charcuterie and dried citrus rinds. Full bodied with a calm, graphite and sage-flecked stony flow on the palate. Jeez, it’s easy to drink, with a bright mineral cadence, powdered granitic tannins and just a touch of morello cherry as it slides away.”

RRP $33 Our Special Price $28.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.