Spinifex Le Chemin

Drinking this 2009 Spinifex Le Chemin a day after the Duval just reviewed, it is astonishing how different these two wines, both from the Barossa, similar age, and Rhône varieties, are. I will give both wines the same score, but for totally different reasons. This is a good illustration that the descriptions say a lot more than points.

The Spinifex has a bright ruby colour as opposed to the Duval's almost black colour. This blend of five common Rhône varieties is vibrant and fresh at eight years of age. This is clearly due to the wine's high acidic backbone and the grapes' early picking. The wine is very spicy, with white pepper in particular. Herbaceous flavours are stronger than the raspberry fruit. Grenache is the dominant grape here, but the wine is not fruity. This wine is almost anti Barossan in style, and while I understand the sentiment, I would have enjoyed more harmony in the mouth.

Score: 92/++