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, The Wine Front.
Indigene is based on Barossa’s wonderful resource of old-vine Mataro (aka Mourvèdre) and Shiraz. No two years are the same for Indigene, with the composition depending on fruit quality and vintage conditions. In 2022, Mataro takes centre stage, accounting for a whopping 90% of the blend; Pete couldn’t resist the powerful, immaculately balanced profile of the Mataro this year and added Shiraz for a touch of polish.
The fruit hails from two respected vineyards in the Barossa Valley, Vinehaven and Rock Valley, planted in 1926 (Mataro) and 1996 (Shiraz), respectively. No-frills farming reigns at both sites―picking and pruning are done by hand, vines are predominantly dry-grown and inputs are minimal. Both parcels were destemmed and fermented in small stainless-steel tanks. After 14 days, the wine was pressed to one seasoned 900-litre foudre and one new 500-litre puncheon. After 22 months, the wines were blended and bottled.
2022 was clearly a defining year for this old-vine fruit. It’s a beautifully complex Indigine bursting with broody, juicy berry fruits, earthy depth, a rumbling mineral core, woodsy spice and black tea lift. Tight, stony tannins and driving fresh-berry acidity complement the alluring depth and spice-laden finish. Gorgeously raw Barossa power in a neat, delicious package.
96 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion “A blend of 90/10% mataro/shiraz from the Vinehaven and Rocky Valley vineyards. This smells glorious. Uber-pure satsuma plum, blueberry and black cherry fruits cut with hints of exotic spice, créme de cassis, tobacco, purple floral tones, bay leaf, olive tapenade, graphite and earth. The fruit is the star here; perfectly poised and harmonious, it melds with silty-fine tannins, with a red apple skin acidity on the fade out. Superb.”
95 points, Stuart Knox, The Real Review “Deep, almost opaque ruby red colour. Blueberry, mulberry, ironstone and boudin noir aromas. Deep and powerful, the core fills with black and blue fruits that are powerful but not overt as ferrous minerality, deep meaty and dark spice tones all fill through and keep it balanced and intriguing. There’s no doubting the density here, tannins are built to handle it though. Granular and driving, it carries phenomenal length and a firm dryness at the finish. A wine built for the long haul and will definitely be best with suitable food.”
93 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front “Violets, game meat, black plum, white strawberry, crunchy red capsicum, sweet spice, clove and cinnamon. A herbal riff makes for a funky baseline. It does savoury and tightly wound and sumptuous at once; go figure! Brooding and inky, a touch of that boot polish thing here, salted liquorice too. A little benign decay of woody spices, prune and figs, some dried fruit here too. It has a distinct regional charm, though could be seen as a little brutish, which could suit many of course.”
RRP $88 Our Special Price $70.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine
