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The
Clare Valley
Part 3:
Mitchell
Andrew and Jane Mitchell (pictured below) are
making some fantastic wines which sell at very fair prices. Mitchell was
just the eighth winery to be established in Clare, although this was
more than 120 years after the first vines were planted here in 1850 at
Sevenhill. Andrew’s family were growers with a vineyard in Clare
(they sold to Leasingham, which was then the Stanley Wine Company), and he
went to study economics at Adelaide University. He followed this up
with a course in Wine Science at Wagga in New South Wales, at a
dynamic time (1976–78): contemporaries included Brian Croser (who
was a
lecturer), Phil Ryan and Robin Day. Andrew describes it as a
‘totally unrepeatable experience’.
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Andrew made wines for the first time from his
family’s vineyards in 1975. Now Mitchell do some 30 000 cases
annually from their 75 hectares of vineyards, and are self-reliant for
fruit. Andrew has a quiet, studied manner and isn’t a
self-publicist: if he was, perhaps these wines would be hyped more in
the media and cost twice the price. For the shrewd consumer, though,
these are excellent buys. The Riesling is consistently among the best
half dozen in Australia, and the Cabernet is pretty serious also. But
don’t forget the Grenache, a super wine with real character. Andrew
says that his Shiraz is the easiest wine to sell.
Mitchell were one of the Clare screwcap pioneers who
bottled their Riesling under Stelvin in 2000. Andrew’s current
theory is that cork has a dulling effect on fruit: screwcaps age at
the same rate, he thinks, but the fruit is retained, so the wine
doesn’t close down at all.
Riesling vertical
8000 cases a year are made of this wine, which comes
from a vineyard planted in 1962 on its own roots. It has always been
dry grown and yields around 2 tons an acre. Only free run juice is
used; the press wine is sold off.
 Mitchell Riesling 2004 Watervale, Clare
Lovely bright aromatic nose with taut limey fruit and a subtle
confectionary hint. The palate is crisp and full with nice savoury,
tangy citrus fruits. Good concentration and high acidity. Potentially
superb with time but hard to assess now. Very good/excellent 90/100
Mitchell Riesling 2003 Watervale, Clare
Breathtakingly delicate and expressive, with a minerally nose.
Restrained. The palate is tight, concentrated and minerally with high
acidity. Great depth to this. Very good/excellent 93/100
Mitchell Riesling 2002 Watervale, Clare
This complex Riesling is really beginning to hit its stride.
Delicate, limey nose with subtle spicy floral notes. The palate is
crisp and full with a striking liminess and a dry finish. Tight with
good acidity. Very minerally. Very good/excellent 94/100
Mitchell Riesling 2001 Watervale, Clare
Gorgeous nose of open honeyed, floral, lemony fruit. Very
delicate. The palate is opening out with some fresh lemony, slightly
toasty fruit and good acidity. Still youthful though. Very
good/excellent 93/100
Mitchell Riesling 2000 Watervale, Clare
The first year of screwcaps. Deeper in colour with some evolution on
the nose: toasty notes and hints of petrol. There’s a savoury
intensity to the limey fruit. The palate is almost structured with
lots of savoury, limey fruit. Concentrated and full. Very
good/excellent 90/100
Mitchell Riesling 1999 Watervale, Clare
Quite a deep yellow gold colour. The nose is quite heavy and full with
a toasty, herby edge to the limey fruit. The palate shows explosive
acidity. There’s a nuttiness to the fruit; overall this is austere.
Some volatility. At an awkward stage. Very good+ 86/100
Mitchell Riesling 1998 Watervale, Clare
Quite deep yellow gold. Subtle, taut nose. Palate is tight with
structured, limey, spicy fruit and high acidity. Great concentration
of flavour. Crisp, fresh and still youthful. Melony, apricotty edge to
the fruit. Very good/excellent 92/100
Mitchell Riesling 1992 Watervale, Clare
Lovely delicate perfumed nose with a hint of petrol, and some honey
and floral notes. The palate is quite complex and full with lovely
savoury structure. Not hard or tough: a fantastic wine. Very
good/excellent 94/100
Cabernet Sauvignon
vertical
Andrew explained that with Cabernet in Clare there is
only a short window of opportunity to pick the grapes. They quickly
shift from underripe, with green, leafy characteristics, to overrripe,
where they lose their nice varietal character. Andrew gives Cabernet a
long time on skins, fermenting it in closed tanks with pumping over.
After pressing it goes into tanks and sits on lees. Mitchell’s
Cabernet comes from a vineyard that has a deep red loam soil.
Mitchell Sevenhill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
Clare
(Screwcapped) Very bright, focused blackcurrant nose with a lovely
chalky earthiness. Some restraint here. The palate shows elegant
blackcurrant fruit with a minerally, spicy edge. Elegant stuff with
the oak in check: not obvious at all. Very good/excellent 92/100
Mitchell Sevenhill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Clare
Two bottles of this were opened, both were corked!
Mitchell Sevenhill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1999
Clare
Tight nose showing some earthy, spicy chalkiness, and restrained
blackcurrant fruit. The palate is quite tight with a lovely core of
fruit. Savoury, spicy and mineralic with some dark tarry hints. Very
good/excellent 92/100
Mitchell Sevenhill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
Clare
Very appealing taut minerally blackcurrant fruit on the nose. Very
expressive with great depth. The palate is concentrated and full with
lovely balance between the tight wound black fruits, the spiciness,
and the acidity. A serious wine with a lovely future ahead of it. Very
good/excellent 94/100
Mitchell Sevenhill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 Clare
Lovely elegant blackcurrant fruit nose with a subtle overlay of spice
and tar. The palate is savoury and firm with some spiciness and
minerality. Elegant stuff with good acid. Very good/excellent 92/100
Other
wines
Mitchell Semillon 2002 Clare
30% is barrel fermented with wild yeasts. Very rounded and smooth with
a lemony, herbal character and a touch of herbaceousness. Very good+
88/100
Mitchell Peppertree Vineyard Shiraz 1998 Clare
Very deep coloured. Dark, tarry, spicy nose. The palate is savoury and
spicy with good acidity. Very expressive. Very good/excellent 90/100
Mitchell Peppertree Vineyard Shiraz 2002 Clare
A proportion is done with whole-bunch fermentation in open tanks; a
bit of crushed fruit is pumped on top. The stalks and whole berries
give a spicy pungency. Very deep coloured. Sweet dark fruits nose. The
palate is concentrated and full with a herby spicy overlay to the pure
blackfruits. A hint of fruit sweetness completes this forward wine.
Very good/excellent 91/100
Mitchell Grenache 2001 Clare
This has a hint of Mourvèdre and a bit of Sangiovese in it. Lots of
people blend Grenache with Shiraz, points out Andrew, but then you
just end up with an inferior Shiraz. Grenache has charms of its own.
This wine has a lovely perfumed Grenache nose: it’s spicy, slightly
herby and with liqueur-like sweet red fruits. The palate is really
expressive with sweet spices: almost exotic. Brilliant. Very
good/excellent 92/100
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