Spinifex Aglianico 2019

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.

Pete Schell’s Aglianico is drawn from vines rooted in the quartz clay and granite soils of Caj Amadio’s vineyard near Kersbrook in the northern Adelaide Hills, at 300 metres above sea level. Aglianico is already a late ripening variety–more so at this kind of altitude–and these are Spinifex’s last vines to be harvested. Pete says, “Aglianico has shown a great affinity for this site with the fruit ripening very late, typically just before the break in the season, with deep flavours, fresh tannins and high natural acids.”
Newly released and on song!   Reviews for 2018 …

93 points, Steven Creber for Halliday Wine Companion 2021 “Whole berry ferment with wild yeast, 10 months in seasoned French oak. A mixture of sweet and savoury on the bouquet with ripe raspberry and dried herb aromas. The palate is a bit of an ambush; juicy and jubey initially, and then tannin which seems to get drier with every mouthful. I think it’s more suited to drink with a meal rather than taste forensically.”

RRP $37  *SPECIAL BUY 6 or more $27.99 when you buy 6 of this wine.*