Spinifex Bete Noir Shiraz 2022

Spinifex Wines owners and operators, Peter Schell and Magali Gely, have had a home in the Barossa Valley for over twenty years and hold a strong commitment to and passion for the Barossa. They also have a strong French connection, both physically and philosophically. Spinifex Wines grapes are sourced from a group of dedicated growers in both the Barossa and Eden Valleys, taking advantage of the great diversity of the soils and meso-climates of the Barossa to create wineswith balance, character, depth of flavour and Barossan generosity.

All the fruit was harvested by hand. The proportion of whole clusters varied from "everything to nothing" depending on the vineyard, with roughly 35% in the final cuvée. Vinified with indigenous yeast fermentation, elevage on lees in new (25%) and seasoned French oak barrels ranging in capacity from 225 L to 2500 L for 20 months prior to bottling without filtration.

A Bête Noir is the bane of one’s existence and refers to the multitude of small parcels that go into this blend. Pete Schell’s ‘21 is a blend of old-vine Barossa Shiraz and Eden Valley Shiraz sourced from vines across nine small family vineyards of Barossa’s sub-regions—with the eastern foothills, Moppa, Eden Valley and Light Pass all playing contrasting roles. Vineyard age ranges between 25 and 125 years.

Deep, complex nose. Layers of dark fruits – blackberry, black currant, ripe dark cherry – fuse with delicate white pepper, rosemary and baking spices, underlain with bass notes of savoury walnut, black tea and game. Medium to full bodied palate, even, strong yet supple. Flavours range through dark sour plum, red cherry, dried herbs. Restrained yet fleshy mid palate – ripe fruit acids and fresh tannins draw to a long finish.

This is a Barossa Shiraz for all-comers. It’s bold, rich and flavoursome but it’s also complex and tannic. It gives and it gets. It tastes of peanut shells and saturated plums, fragrant herbs, raisins, purple flowers, a ferrous note and red licorice. It carries a keen spread of tannin but this tannin is drenched in fruit flavour. In short, it delivers lashings of flavour in serious style. - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, 94 Points.

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Shiraz
Country - Australia
Region - Barossa Valley
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 14.5%