Peter Schell of Spinifex has employed a clever strategy of blending. Many components of his wines are from less desired grapes, bought well, and blended into appealing wines of great drinkability. Then in 2014, Spinifex bought the Rostein vineyard in the Flaxman Valley of Eden Valley. This vineyard is in the southern part of Eden Valley, near High Eden, and situated at close to 500m altitude on predominantly sandy soil. 2018 is the first release of this single vineyard wine, positioned as the new Spinifex flagship. Given Eden Valley, the altitude, and the soil, I was expecting a fragrant, perfumed wine. I could not have been further from the truth.
Is the label the soil profile? If it is largely sandy soil, I would not expect it to look like this, but I am not sure.
The colour of the 2018 Spinifex Rostein Shiraz is deep purple. There is a sense of denseness on the nose. It made me slightly uneasy. And clearly, on the front palate, it is already clear this is a big and ripe wine. Blackberry and blood plum flavours are added to by ever so slight typical Eden Valley blue fruit. Licorice, smoke, and meaty flavours add complexity.
The mouthfeel is big, more power than elegance, but balanced with firm acidity and blocky tannins. Surprisingly, the alcohol is only 14.2%, and it is not felt. Overall, this is a well made wine, it feels more Barossa Valley than Eden Valley, but no matter, this is a substantial addition to warm climate Shiraz.
I am drinking this at 4.5 years of age. The wine is still very young, and it has a structure which will easily take it into the second decade.
Score: 96/++
2 comments:
Hi Thomas,
HNY to you.
While I know it can be challenging to seperate the wheat from the chaff when talking to wine producers about vintage conditions, I was wondering if you’d heard much about 2021 in the Barossa?
I’ve heard a great deal of positivity about this particular vintage.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Colin
You are right with your introductory remarks, Colin. However, talking to some winemakers I trust, not in selling mode, they are quite excited about 2021. 2019 and 2020 were drought years. Some good wines were made from old vines, but it was challenging. Then the rain came, and 2021 might be exceptional. Winemakers enjoy that yields are up, but not too much for quality producers. The proof will be in the glass, but 2021 is certainly a vintage to try.
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