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Penfolds Grange + St Henri: The Collector's Set
Two of Australia's most enduring red wine expressions, together in one collection. Grange and St Henri represent opposite poles of the Penfolds phi...
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Two of Australia's most enduring red wine expressions, together in one collection. Grange and St Henri represent opposite poles of the Penfolds phi...
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97 Points
Intensity, heritage vines and remarkable finesse define this cult Barossa Valley Syrah from the tiny Sami-Odi label. The 2024 Sami-Odi Hoffmann Dallwitz Syrah is drawn from the oldest sections of the Hoffmann family vineyard in Ebenezer, with own-rooted vines planted as early as 1888 and 1912, complemented by material from a 1927 block. These ancient plantings grow in deep red Barossa soils and yield very small crops, creating natural concentration without heaviness.
Winemaker Fraser McKinley follows a meticulous, low-intervention approach, harvesting by hand and fermenting with whole bunches and indigenous yeasts to capture the personality of the site. Long macerations and gentle basket pressing build structure while preserving aromatic lift. The wine matures primarily in seasoned French oak barrels so the vineyard character remains the focus rather than overt oak flavour. The 2024 vintage shows both depth and energy, combining dark fruit richness with floral perfume and spice. Despite its density, the wine remains poised, supported by fine tannins and natural acidity rather than extraction. With time in the glass, savoury, earthy and mineral layers emerge. It is compelling in youth with decanting but is fundamentally built for long cellaring, evolving for fifteen years or more.
Intensity, heritage vines and remarkable finesse define this cult Barossa Valley Syrah from the tiny Sami-Odi label. The 2024 Sami-Odi Hoffmann Dallwitz Syrah is drawn from the oldest sections of the Hoffmann family vineyard in Ebenezer, with own-rooted vines planted as early as 1888 and 1912, complemented by material from a 1927 block. These ancient plantings grow in deep red Barossa soils and yield very small crops, creating natural concentration without heaviness.
Winemaker Fraser McKinley follows a meticulous, low-intervention approach, harvesting by hand and fermenting with whole bunches and indigenous yeasts to capture the personality of the site. Long macerations and gentle basket pressing build structure while preserving aromatic lift. The wine matures primarily in seasoned French oak barrels so the vineyard character remains the focus rather than overt oak flavour. The 2024 vintage shows both depth and energy, combining dark fruit richness with floral perfume and spice. Despite its density, the wine remains poised, supported by fine tannins and natural acidity rather than extraction. With time in the glass, savoury, earthy and mineral layers emerge. It is compelling in youth with decanting but is fundamentally built for long cellaring, evolving for fifteen years or more.
“An extraordinary expression of old-vine Barossa syrah, layered with dark fruits, spice and violet perfume. The texture is seamless and the tannins are beautifully resolved, carrying the wine through a remarkably long and detailed finish.”
“Ripe black cherry, blueberry and blackberry fruit with a deep seam of spice and herbs. Concentrated yet energetic, finishing long and structured.”
“Perfumed and precise with impressive tension, showing layered fruit, savoury complexity and exceptional ageing potential.”
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.
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.
Blackberry, boysenberry and dark cherry aromas interwoven with violet, black pepper, clove and subtle dried herbs.
Concentrated black fruits and plum framed by fine tannins, savoury spice and mineral tension, showing depth without heaviness.
Persistent finish of cracked pepper, graphite and earth, with lingering dark fruit and refined structural grip.