Mataro (Mourvèdre) Time

 The days around Christmas have been quite cool in Sydney, so I decided to open some Mataro. This variety is found most often blended with Shiraz and Grenache as a Southern Rhône or Australian wine. Mataro tends to produce tannic wines, with gamy notes. It is also difficult to grow. However, there are some straight variety wines.

The first wine I opened was the 2016 Powell & Son Kleinig Vineyard Mataro. Seven years seemed like a good age. However, the wine showed very ripe and burnt. Mulberry and earthy flavours were dull. Tannins had mellowed. The wine clearly lost its energy and had aged too quickly.

Score: 82/--

The second wine was an entry level 2021 Alkina Mataro. I expected this to be much fresher, due to the winemaker and its young age. It had a similar dark colour to the Powell. The typicity was quite good, with mulberry and savoury flavours. The wine had more energy than the Powell, but it was still very full-bodied and quite thick in the mouth - not very exciting.

Score: 88/0

I think I prefer to enjoy Mataro as part of a blend.

Barossa, Part 3

 On day two in the Barossa, I kicked off with Brothers At War. The Wardlaw brothers have different preferences in wine, one favouring the bigger Barossa Valley wines, the other the sleeker Eden Valley wines. Again, my tasting was extensive, and I need to summarize somewhat.

The two Rieslings from the Eden Valley, the 2021 The Grape Grower, and the 2021 Nothing In Common, were excellent. The first is very delicate, with lime fruit and light acidity. The second is firmer, with more depth of fruit (both 92 points).

Then we come to the red wines of the family range and the premium range. I tasted the 2020 Some Other Guy GSM, the 2020 The Old Man Eden Valley Syrah, the 2020 I'm Always Right Eden Valley Cabernet, and the 2020 Fist Fight Barossa Shiraz. These wines are all quite fruit forward. They do not have enough structure for me (86 to 90 points).   

I have similar issues with the 2020 Single Vineyard Eden Valley Mataro and the 2020 Single Vineyard Syrah. These wines come from the Pendee Farm vineyard in Springton. The Syrah is very austere, and the mouthfeel thin, the Mataro is dominated by strong coarse tannins (90 points).

I preferred the 2020 Single Vineyard Barossa Valley Shiraz from a 60 year old Lyndoch vineyard. It is red fruited, infused with some mocca notes, still made in a fresh style with firm acidity (93 points).

Some production notes, not sure you can read them

The star of the tasting was the 2021 Single Vineyard Eden Valley Grenache. It comes from the 160 year old Stonegarden vineyard (there it is again!). 50% whole bunch is used in this wine. Red cherry, and a little fruity raspberry and cranberry flavours open up beautifully on the back palate, supported by silky tannins (95 points).

The final wine is the 2018 Icon Eden Valley Syrah/Grenache. 'Icon' seems a bit rich for a wine nobody knows. This wine has more concentration, but shows still fresh raspberry and red cherry flavours. The barnyard notes, which I have not tasted in a wine for some time, are not out of place. The finish is quite long (94 points). 

My next visit is to Eisenstone. There are a couple of things I like about this new winery from the start. This winery makes only Shiraz; focus until you master it! Secondly, it labels one series of wines by subregion, and a second by special vineyards. Stephen Cook used my book on Barossa Shiraz to develop his approach!

The first wine I taste is the 2019 Ebenezer Shiraz. The fruit comes from the famous Hoffmann vineyard. It is a mix of 1965 Dallwitz fruit (also used by Sami-Odi) and young vines. All wines are matured in French oak, this one has 50% new. There are blackcurrant, blueberry and some mocca flavours on the palate. The fruit weight is good. Savoury notes come from the oak. The wine tastes long in the mouth (93 points). The 2019 Hoffmann Single Vineyard Shiraz wine is similar in style, with red and black fruit flavours. The wine is more opulent, yet quite elegant with good complexity. This is a classic full-bodied Barossa Shiraz (95 points). The 2019 Roenfeld Rd. Shiraz, from the vineyard which also produces the new Opulus label, is surprisingly aromatic, but the structure is quite tight and linear (92 points).

The 2020 wines, from a more difficult vintage, appear more generous, with a lighter touch perhaps. The 2020 Gomersal Shiraz is lively and fruity with blackberry and blueberry flavours (93 points). The 2020 Koonanga Shiraz, from the Beckers vineyard) is very dark with mocca notes - a typical Northern Barossa Shiraz (94 points). The 2020 Hoffmann Single Vineyard Shiraz is the star of this line-up. It has a big mouthfeel, with blackberry and blueberry flavours. A very opulent wine with some lifted character and finely grained, yet firm tannins (96 points).

The style of this winery is classic Barossa Shiraz with excellent fruit sources. The winemaking could lighten up a bit more. The addition of acidity feels a little forced and not totally harmonious. It will be interesting to see the wines of 2021, when vintage conditions were perfect.

My final tasting was with Dave Powell of ??? After leaving Torbreck, he formed Powell & Son. This went well for a few years, before he had a falling out with Callum Powell. Callum now makes lighter style wines under the Agricola label. Dave Powell is still being pursued for using his own name by the Torbreck owners. So he now formed Neldner Road. However, some wines are still marketed under Powell & Son. 

The first wine is the 2018 Barossa Valley GSM. It is a classical blend with 60% Grenache. This wine is very fresh, very drinkable with great texture. The wine is quite fruit orientated with  darker flavours than typical for Grenache. The wine has good length, like a Torbreck Steading from a good year (94 points). The 2019 Barossa Shiraz spends 18 months in French foudres. It is very dark, with chocolate flavours dominant. This wine is great value for money (93 points). The 2019 Neldner Barossa and Eden Valleys Shiraz is like the Struie. Matured in foudres as well, the Eden Valley component shines through, with lifted aromatics and blue fruit (94 points).

My  second favourite of the line-up is the 2019 Loechel Eden Valley Shiraz. This wine sees 67% new oak, matured in barriques. The vineyard soil is  predominantly granite. This is a full-flavoured wine, but it has an element of lightness. The wine is elegant with great length (96 points). The 2019 Kalimna Shiraz, from 80 year old vines, is a good counter point. This wine has big fruit weight and quite coarse tannins - the big Barossa (94 points).

The 2018 Chatterton Shiraz comes from four Barossa and two Eden Valley vineyards. All vines are more than 100 years old, and the sources are largely the same as what David used for RunRig. The wine spends two years in French new oak. I found this wine already quite drinkable. The wine arrives in distinctive layers on the palate. The wine is rich, but is slightly lifted as well. It is beautifully crafted (96 points). It is tough for the 2017 Kleinig Mataro to follow. This wine displays typical Mataro flavours of meat, earth, and spice. It has a surprising fresh and expanding finish - really nice (94 points).

When you taste David Powell wines you know what to expect. There is a widespread view that his wines are too big to be enjoyed by more than a glass. I found these wines quite drinkable, however, and the winemaking is first class.

This ends the Barossa trip. I enjoyed many beautiful wines. There is a widening of styles and a new excitement in the valley, and some notable evolution at Penfolds. One thing has to be said. Most wines tasted here above 93 points are $80/bottle or more. Enjoying good wine has become quite expensive.  

   

  

 

Barossa, Part 2

 The main purpose of my visit this time is to get to know some of the newer wineries and their wine styles. Eperosa is a small operation by winemaker Brett Grocke. It shot to some fame when Brett Grocke was named winemaker of the year by James Halliday in 2021. Most wines come from the two owned vineyards in Krondorf and the Magnolia vineyard in Vine Vale. He makes mainly Semillon and the Rhone varieties. I will cover the most important wines below.

The 2020 Magnolia 1941 Semillon is grown in deep sand (as is common in the Hunter). The wine spent 16 months on lees and is barrel fermented. This means it is getting quite a bit of treatment. Lemon and oyster shell flavours lead to a bigger texture than often associated with Semillon. There is some slight oxidation in this wine. It has some waxiness on the back palate. I found this an attractive style (92 points).

The leading Grenache is the 2020 Stonegarden 1858 Grenache. As is the case with fruit from the Hoffmann vineyard in Ebenezer, suddenly everybody wants fruit from this old Springton, Eden Valley vineyard. The vineyard is high altitude, with rocky soil. This wine is red fruited, as you would expect, with red cola flavours. It also has a dark presence with licorice notes. I must say I expected more from this (92 points).

The most important wines are the Shiraz wines from the Magnolia vineyard. It sits at the base of Menglers Hill at over 300m altitude. A number of gullies run through the property and split the vineyard into distinctive blocks, planted at different times. The soils vary, with deep sand the most common.

The 2020 Magnolia 1965 Shiraz comes from the highest part of the vineyard. It is farmed organically. It is quite a concentrated wine, with violet notes, blue fruited (similar to Eden Valley) with some iron flavours, and very elegant. Brett compared the wine to Cornas (94 points).

The 2020 Magnolia 1896 Shiraz is grown on rockier soil. Again, it is blue fruited and shows an ethereal elegance, which one seems to only get from very old vines. The tannins are fine and the finish long (95 points).

I enjoyed the two flagship wines. They taste more like Eden Valley than Barossa Valley. The other wines are fine, but not so special (except for the Semillon).

The next stop was Alkina. Alkina is the talk of the valley right now. The 60ha property near Greenock was purchased by Argentinian billionaire Alejandro Bulgheroni about 10 years ago. He also owns wineries in Argentina, Uruguay, France, USA and Italy. 6ha on the property was planted in 1950. Another 37ha have been planted by now, some parts going back to 1970, some only a few years old. The vineyard is managed biodynamically, and extraction in the winery is on the light side. Significant investment in concrete eggs, Italian Amphorae and Georgian Qveri give the winery a look unlike any other in the Barossa Valley.

The entry level wines from young vines are called Kin. I tasted the 2022 Semillon, and the 2021 Grenache and Mataro from this range. The Semillon is fuller bodied than the Hunter wines. The reds show great typicity. There is great freshness and fruit purity in these wines (92-93 points).

I did not like the 2020 Birdsong Shiraz much. It was matured in old foudres. The wine is very fruity, followed by drying tannins (89 points).

I now need to talk about the Polygon project. Electro conductivity mapping technology has been used on the original 6ha vineyard to separate out in fine detail different soil types. This is done by sending electromagnetic impulses into the ground. This project is lead by Chilean soil scientist Pedro Parra and Italian winemaker Alberto Antonini. Based on the mapping, a number of soil pits are excavated. Different profiles were identified. These small blocks now form the basis for individual wines. It is expected they will show differences, depending on the schist, clay, limestone and quartzite compositions.

The first wine I taste from this area is a blend, however: the classic GSM. The 60% Grenache comes from Polygon 4, comprising clay and degraded schist. It is called 2020 Old Quarter. The wine is fresh, very elegant, pretty, and complex. It is very balanced between components, which have 70-100% whole bunch. There is excellent minerality on the finish (95 points).

The 2019 Polygon 5 Grenache is made in a similar way. The soil is schist with clay and iron. It translates into a firmer structure. This is a dark and elegant wine with intense raspberry and red plum flavours.  The tannins are very fine (95 points). This is supposed to contrast with the Polygon 3 Grenache. These wines are made in minuscule quantities, and unfortunately, no more Polygon 3 was available. The 2019 Polygon 1 Shiraz comes from a schist  and quartzite block. This is a bigger wine, blackberry, mocca, and licorice flavours, with firm and chalky tannins (95 points). There will never be much of these wines, we are talking about 50 cases each.

Overall, Alkina is an innovator, bringing something new to the Barossa. The wines are positioned on the beginning of the ripeness spectrum, with great fruit purity and finesse.

 

Ruggabellus

 Ruggabellus was one of the first new wineries in the Barossa in the 'post-Parker' world where deliciousness and vitality became the buzz words. This meant  earlier picking and in Ruggabellus' case, wholebunch. The fact that Abel Gibson's approach was not initially approved by his father, Rob Gibson, the 'dirtman' and grape grader for Penfolds, added to the buzz. The initial concept was simple, but intriguing. Make the southern Rhone blends, make three different wines, where the lead changes from Shiraz to Grenache to Mataro. Interestingly, it seems that in current years, there is a move to 100% Shiraz again, as there is with his spiritual father, Peter Schell at Spinifex.

I recently tasted two wines from the different times, the 2013 Ruggabellus Timeus, a Mataro dominated wine, and the 2018 Ruggabellus Archaeus, a 100% Shiraz.

Sorry about the poor quality, could not fix a problem

The Efferus tastes of blackberry and raspberry. It is a seamless wine, smooth and elegant, quite soft (wholebunch?). A feature are the velvety, long grained tannins. The wine finishes slightly hot, although alcohol is lower than typical for the Barossa.

Score: 94/++

The Archaeus is a lifted Shiraz. Blackberry, forest berries and red plum deliver a satisfying fruit profile. This is an energetic wine, but the mouthfeel was not totally round. I found the wine slightly rough on opening, but much better on day 2 and day 3. Still, it was dropping off at the finish. This wine is clearly too early to drink.

Score: 92/+

Torbreck New Releases

It is good to have a first look at the 2018 vintage at Torbreck. I therefore focus on the red wines. The first is the 2018 The Steading. There has been a change in style. Shiraz is now the largest component in this GSM. The winemaker tells me that Shiraz is still the consumers’ favourite; so there. The wine has been matured in French foudres. There is now more fruit weight in this wine, and the alcohol is high at 15%. I am not convinced the style change makes this a better wine (91 points).

The new foudres at Torbreck

I then taste a relatively new wine, the 2018 Harris Grenache. It comes from an east facing block (no late afternoon sun) in Marananga. I drove past this vineyard. The vines are low sitting bush vines, maybe 30-70 years old. The wine is also matured in the foudres shown above. The fruit concentration is good. There is power and vibrancy in this wine, showing the strength of the 2018 vintage. The ironstone soil contributes for the savoury flavours to remain strong along the palate. This wine is both fresh and serious at the same time: an absolute winner (93 points).

We went on to the 2017 Les Amis, to complete the Grenache set. 2017 was a cooler vintage. This has served this normally super concentrated wine from very low yielding 110 year old bush vines well. There is some lightness in this very smooth wine, where the silky tannins shine on the finish (96 points).

The two Mataro wines are first the 2018 Kyloe Mataro. This wine comes from Moppa and Ebenezer. It is a savoury and meaty wine, brooding, with chunky firm tannins. It would not be everybody’s cup of tea, but is a good expression of Mataro (92 points). The premium Mataro, the 2017 Pict, comes from the Materne vineyard in Greenock. There is a bit more fruit weight here with very firm tannins (93 points).

The main Torbreck focus, though, is Shiraz. The 2018 Struie is an excellent wine. The Eden Valley component at 25% is a bit less than normal, due to frost. With blackberry fruit at its core, this wine has good complexity with mulberry flavours and mocca in its mix. This is a smooth wine with depth and a firm, balanced structure (95 points).

I compared this with two much more expensive wines from 2017. The 2017 Factor is red and black fruited, a bit saline, and not as big as the Struie. It finishes tight (93 points). The 2017 Descendant, which includes 8% Viognier by weight, but only 2% by volume is quite smooth, but lacks a bit of fruit weight, with the fruit quite dry (93 points).

The final wine is the 2015 RunRig. 2016 is sold out and 2017 not yet released. As usual, it comes from six vineyards across the Barossa, with the southern vineyards on sandy soil contributing lushness, and the northern vineyards power and tannins. This is quite a good wine, with dark fruit intensity. The wine is very ripe, as usual, but also elegant, with a long finish (95 points).

This was an interesting tasting. The 2018 vintage shows very strongly in the mid priced wines. In Shiraz, it clearly beats 2017. It will be interesting to see, if the 2018 ultra premiums will be too over the top for this reviewer.

A Strange Day In The Barossa Valley

On this day, I tasted wines from Spinifex, John Duval, and David Franz; the first two at Artisans of Barossa, the last at the winery.

The situation with Spinifex was a bit unfortunate, as their highly anticipated premium 2018s would only arrive the following day. I tasted the 2018 Garcon, a light Grenache. This wine is easy drinking. There is some whole bunch in the wine, which makes the mouthfeel more savoury and rounded (90 points). The 2018 Aglianico is actually sourced south of Williamstown, really from the Adelaide Hills. The fruit is late ripening, and the acidity and firm tannins stand out in this wine (88 points). Finally, the 2018 Syrah (notice the spelling) is a very fresh, juicy wine, with good acidity and varietal character, but not much depth (91 points). I am looking forward to tasting the other 2018 wines.

I tasted a fuller range of John Duval wines. The 2017 Plexus shows pretty fruit and good balance. 50% of this GSM is Shiraz, which took over from Grenache to give the wine more weight. The mouthfeel was not as rounded as in some previous years (91 points). The Annexus wines are relatively new. They show particular components of the Plexus, worth bottling separately. The 2017 Annexus Grenache comes predominantly from the 150 year old Eden Valley Stonegarden vineyard. This is a well structured wine, showing raspberry fruit and minerality on the finish. In this relatively cool year and higher altitude, the fruit weight is a little weak (91 points). The 2017 Annexus Mataro, suffering from this vintage, is muscular, and a little bitter and tannic (88 points).

There will be a lot of interest in the 2018 Entity, the follow-up to the outstanding 17. Again, the Shiraz fruit is 50/50 Barossa Valley, Eden Valley. This wine shows good depth of fruit and great harmony. This wine is not overly extracted, which could have been a temptation (94 points). Comparing this wine to the 2016 Eligo, which consists of Duval's best fruit, I give the crown to the Eligo. It is a more powerful wine, with darker fruit and bigger fruit weight. This wine makes a statement. The tannins are firm and the finish long (95 points). We now cannot wait for the 2017 Eligo. Will it beat the 2017 Entity?

The tasting at David Franz was the worst tasting I can remember for many years. Why does this winery show in its premium range wines from the very wet 2011? The 2011 Benjamin's Promise Shiraz is brown in colour and tastes of stewed fruit. There are confectionery notes and the tannins are very soft; unpleasant (84 points). The 2011 Alexander's Reward Cabernet/Shiraz is very similar, a bit more lively with acidity (85 points). I was relieved to leave 2011 with the 2014 Georgie's Walk Cabernet Sauvignon, only to find that the redcurrant flavours were overshadowed by herbal notes. There is a strong American oak influence in this oxidated wine (82 points). Finally, I tasted the Larrikin VII, a non vintage blend of Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot and Grenache. This wine seemed to include all components that could not be used otherwise (not rated).

The good news is, I can report on two excellent Barossa tastings in posts to come.  

Caillard Mataro

Andrew Caillard is a man of many talents: reviewer of fine wines, auctioneer, Master of Wine. He also paints the colourful labels for his side project, wines from the Barossa Valley.

Mataro in the Barossa is mainly used as a component of the GSM wines, but this 2012 Caillard Mataro is 100% Mataro or Mourvedre. The Mataro grape tends to be quite tannic, and is used as a counter-point in its savoury and earthy character to the often jammy Shiraz.

This wine is full-bodied, with ripe plum and cassis flavours. This is a big, concentrated wine, quite smooth and lush on the front palate with good energy; more savoury on the back palate. The finish is a bit thick and not very differentiated - the problem with this grape variety, because it needs to fully ripen. Having said this, the wine is well made and a good example of Mataro.

Score: 92/+

Powell & Son Red Wines

It was always clear that David Powell would not disappear from the scene after he lost control of Torbreck. While the 2014 wines of his new venture with his son Callum were a bit uneven, I am pleased to be able to report that the 2015 and 2016 red wines are very strong indeed. This tasting came just after the release of the Wine Spectator Top 100 for the year, where his US entry wine was one of five Australian wines or so to feature.

The 2015 Powell & Son Grenache Blend is very similar to Torbreck's Steading, which was always Powell's favorite wine. Grenache dominates in this GSM. Raspberry, strawberry and cherry fruit engulf the palate with fresh flavours. The components are seemless, and the wine finishes with soft tannins (93 points).

The 2016 Mataro 'Kleinig' for me was the highlight of the tasting. This is because this wine has a very distinct personality. Again, there is a Torbreck analog, the Pict. Fruit is not the key to this wine. This wine is rustic, spicy, meaty and with great weight on the palate. The image I had was to sit on an old, rusty truck driving over a potholed dirt road (95 points).

The 2016 Shiraz 'Loechel' consists of the Eden Valley component of the Torbreck Struie. The vineyard is near the Eden Valley township. From a more balanced vintage than the warm 2015, this wine is fresh and lively. There is the typical Eden Valley spice and the mouthfeel is very satisfying (95 points).

The 2015 Shiraz 'Steinert' comes from an Eden Valley vineyard at Flaxman's Valley, at an altitude of 480m. David Powell believes this to be an amazing wine, and it is certainly priced that way. There is blackberry and blueberry on the palate. The flavour is weighty and juicy. I find the wine a bit big and fat, but it has a lot of depth. Alcohol is noticeable on the finish (92 points).

Overall, the wines are seductive and quite delicious. David Powell is back.

PS: Callum has just had his last exam in Oenology. Let's see what influence he will have in the future.   

Barossa Buys 2012

I normally report on mature wines which come from my cellar and sometimes on tastings I participate in, but I am thinking to maybe venture out and give a heads up on wines I bought from the fabulous 2012 vintage in the Barossa. These are wines which offer good value for money and have a beautiful fruit expression in this year. These wines are on the fresh, not on the overripe side. They are

Head, The Brunette
John Duval, Plexus and Entity
Spinifex, Bete Noir
Caillard, Mataro.

Any thoughts?

Kaesler Wines

Kaesler is one of those traditional family companies in the Barossa, based on an old vineyard and with a focus on Rhone variety wines. Somehow, I have never tasted their wines. Well, yesterday I had the opportunity. I sometimes defend the Barossa against the current popular criticism of making overly big and ripe wines, but here it would be truly justified. This was not a great experience.

The first wine was the 2008 Kaesler Avignon, a GSM blend. The wine is full bodied, with quite concentrated fruit, a bit harsh and alcoholic, rather than elegant.

Score: 87/--

The 2008 Kaesler Alte Reben Mataro was a wine I was looking for, as not many old straight Mataros are made in Australia. It tasted of sweet raspberry, was very ripe and actually difficult to digest.

Score: 88/--

The 2008 Kaesler Old Vine Shiraz comes predominantly from 50 to 60 year old vines, I think. The flavour is straight forward plum, almost brandy like with its 15.5% alcohol. There is no subtlety in this wine. Fruit from old vines should taste much more measured and elegant.

Score: 85/---

The 2009 Kaesler Old Bastard Shiraz was the wine I was particularly looking forward to. The fruit comes from the oldest block of the vineyard (100 years +) and it was a better vintage. This is a better wine, but again, the fruit flavour of plum and black cherry does not show a lot of complexity. The wine is more measured at 14% alcohol, and the fine tannins lead to a lasting finish.

Score: 90/-

Overall, my view is that a lack of winemaking skills is applied to these wines. This is particularly so if it is true that the 2008 fruit was harvested before the big heatwave hit (as they all claim - this spin is getting on my nerves: a gold medal to the one who comes forward and says 'the fruit we got in was real crap this year, but look what we turned out'. Wait for the 2011 announcements!) I am afraid I will restrict my Kaesler experience to last night only.

Caillard Mataro

Mataro is not bottled often as a straight grape variety, mostly because of its quite earthy flavours and strong tannins. It is interesting to see that Andrew Caillard, of Langton's Fine Wine Auctions fame, chose it as his first wine.

There is nothing else on the front label than 2008 Caillard Mataro, well except for one of Andrew's paintings, quite pretty. The wine shows a bright red colour. It has vibrant blackberry fruit, quite fragrant and elegant. On the mid palate, the wine is a little thin, but the tannins are fine and deliver a lasting finish. This is a good wine with food, but has a little too much overt fruit on a stand-alone basis.

Good to see something different coming from the Barossa.

Score: 91/++

Spinifex 2008 Releases

Peter Schell, the man who is Spinifex, is alleged to have said he would kill himself if he ever made a typical Barossa Shiraz. He likes to have less ripe vines, with a lot of vitality and varietal expression. In a blind tasting, you would never pick his wines as Barossan. When I tasted some of the new releases in barrel last year, I thought he may have gone too far. The grape picking was even earlier than in previous years, and acidity quite high.

However, as finished product, the wines scrape up pretty well. Let us forget about the token white wine, the Lola, and move straight to the reds.

The 2009 Spinifex Papillon is a fairly forward wine, based on Grenache. It is fruity, but has some savoury undertones. Simple, but well made.

Score: 90/+

The 2008 Spinifex Esprit, a GSM, is more serious. The Shiraz provides more depth and body. It is a lively wine, however, the finish is a bit harsher than in previous years.

Score: 91/0

The 2008 Spinifex Taureau is based on Tempranillo, blended with three other varieties. The flavour of this wine is quite interesting. The fruit is mainly redcurrant, but the taste is predominantly herbal and the finish of this light to medium bodied wine quite acidic. This wine needs a bit of time, but will be a good food wine.

Score: 91/+

The 2008 Spinifex Bete Noir is a new wine, a straight Shiraz. How did Peter manage not to blend? This wine is dark in colour, with blackcurrant and black cherry flavours. The wine shows more fruit than the other wines, but is neither big nor sweet, with a long acidic finish. A very varietal expression of Shiraz.

Score: 93/+

The 2008 Spinifex La Maline is the former Shiraz/Viognier. The fruit is more concentrated with lifted aromas and a similar finish to the last wine. I can't help it, but I don't think that these lifted aromas suit Shiraz all that well, in particular if the wine is lively anyhow.

Score: 91/-

The 2008 Spinifex Indigene is based on Mataro and Shiraz. A little bit of Grenache was added this year. The Mataro strength changes the flavour profile to more redcurrant fruit. This wine is the biggest of all (this does not mean it is big by Barossa standards), it shows more ripeness and a weightier finish.

Score: 93/+

The stable of mainly Rhone variety based wines is ever expanding. In this way, he is similar to Torbreck. But in the winemaking, the two could not be further apart. With Spinifex the emphasis is on liveliness, varietal expression and food friendliness. He has added a different perspective to Barossa winemaking and that is great. I think he needs to watch not to get too obsessed with sourcing fruit from marginal vineyards and picking it too early.