Product Description:
Precision and power from a Barossa Syrah maestro.
Sami-Odi’s ‘Hoffmann Dallwitz’ is a cult Syrah that has helped redefine modern Barossa. Winemaker Fraser McKinley works in tiny volumes, hand-crafting this wine from meticulously farmed vines on the Hoffmann Dallwitz vineyard — a patch of old Barossa dirt that turns out fruit of astonishing depth and vibrancy.
The 2023 release shows the trademark Sami-Odi touch: whole bunches, gentle extraction and minimal handling, allowing the site’s blue-fruited power and savoury drive to shine through unadorned. Each vintage is a snapshot of a single vineyard, a single season, and a restless winemaker’s pursuit of perfect balance.
This Syrah is built to intrigue now but will reward patient cellaring over the next decade. Decant well to coax out its layers of dark berry, fresh herbs and a flicker of spice. Ideal with grilled lamb, game or a simple charcuterie plate.
Maker
Fraser McKinley is the force behind Sami-Odi—a singular project quietly revolutionising Barossa Syrah. A native New Zealander with a background in spatial design and fine art, McKinley took an unlikely path to winemaking. A formative stint at Torbreck and The Standish Wine Co. laid the technical groundwork, but Sami-Odi has always been something else entirely: a deeply personal expression of site, vine, and time.
Since 2010, McKinley has worked exclusively with Shiraz from the Hoffmann Dallwitz Vineyard, managing his own rows with rigorous organic care. These blocks—some with vines dating back to the 1880s—are cultivated with obsessive precision. Yields are low, the detail is high, and the winemaking is uncompromisingly hands-on: small-batch ferments, whole bunches, no additions except sulphur, and bottling by gravity, unfined and unfiltered.
Philosophy
Sami-Odi is not built on scale or consistency—it’s about curation. McKinley’s approach to wine is more akin to an artist building a body of work: careful, layered, and always evolving. Each release is a blend of individual ferments, often across vine age, blocks, and even vintages. The result is not showy but intricate—wines that unfold slowly, offering both immediate pleasure and long-term intrigue.
This is Barossa through a new lens. The ripeness and power are there, but reined in by early picking, thoughtful canopy work, and a refusal to follow formula. Ferments range from carbonic to traditional, all pressed in small basket lots and matured in neutral oak. What emerges is Syrah with tension and soul—equal parts structure and spontaneity, driven more by instinct than recipe. McKinley doesn’t talk much about technique. He talks about the vineyard, the blend, and how it all feels. And the wines speak fluently in return.
Tasting Notes
NOSE
– Dark Berry Lift
Violets, ripe blueberries and a touch of wild herbs.
PALATE
– Silky and Savoury
Juicy black fruits wrapped in fine tannins and subtle earthiness.
FINISH
– Long and Spicy
Persistent spice and minerality that linger gracefully.
The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Syrah
Country - Australia
Region - Barossa Valley, South Australia
Vintage - 2023
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 14.4%
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