Description
“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
“This is consistently one of my favourite cuvées for mid-week drinking.. “ Pete Schell
When Spinifex first entered the scene in 2001, Esprit was a wine that had a profound impact on what we have now come to expect from the ‘new’ Barossa Valley. It’s a wine crafted with perfume, finesse and savoury structure at front of mind, and though the composition may change each year, the result is always a deeply impressive, characterful and complex wine. When it comes to quality and value, Esprit leaves its competitors in the dust.
As always, the wine was sourced from a selection (eight in total) of very old vineyards, mainly in Ebenezer, Williamstown and Bethany. Vine age ranges from 75 to more than 150 years, and all sites are dry-grown with minimal vineyard inputs—old vineyards grown the old way. The 2022 release is Grenache dominant (86%) with the balance made up of Shiraz (6%), Mataro (4%) and Cinsault (4%). Each parcel was fermented with indigenous yeast, and macerations varied from eight to 20 days. Maturation took place in a combination of stainless steel and well-seasoned 600 and 1200-litre barrels. The Grenache component was fermented as whole clusters.
The 2022 season in the Barossa was mild and long, “certainly cooler than the historical average” according to Pete Schell. Coupled with the high Grenache component, these moderate conditions have imparted a distinctly fresh and pure feel to this edition of Esprit. It’s a beautifully constructed wine; deft in weight, lithe in structure and delightfully moreish in the mouth. Bistro wine is a term often overused; here it fits.
94 points, David Brookes, Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion “The 2022 Esprit release sees a blend of 86/6/4/4% grenache/shiraz/cinsault/mataro and it’s sinewy and spicy this year. Red plum, raspberry and cherry, dried herbs and exotic spice with hints of pomegranate, pressed flowers, snapped twigs and ginger cake. Bright, stony acidity provides a bright pulse as the wine sashays energetically across the palate, finishing spice, red-fruited and moreish.”
93 points, Ned Goodwin, JamesSuckling.com “This is gorgeous. Mellifluous. It makes me realize just how ably a full-weighted wine like this, an intuitive Rhone-inspired blend of grenache, shiraz, mataro and cinsault, fits into the Barossan landscape. And with that, the contemporary Australian one. Peaty smokiness, charcuterie, clove, lilac, poached damson, ume, raspberry and Aussie scrub. While the finish is subtly drying and almost chalky, the tannic cladding confers a welcome savoriness. Drink or hold.”
RRP $42 Our Special Price $34.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.
