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The
New Barossa
Part 9:
Spinifex
 We’ve met Pete Schell before in this series: he’s
the winemaker at Turkey Flat. Pete’s own project is called Spinifex,
and under this label he’s making stunning wines that are among the
best I tried on my visit.
When I met up with Pete it would be fair to say I
wasn’t in the best of shape. Now I don’t have the stamina of a
Barossa winemaker, and so I should have shown more caution on Friday
night when I was invited to a magnum dinner at Vintners in Angaston.
Many of the young-ish Barossa crowd were gathered, and each of them
had brought at least a magnum. My notes trailed off about two-thirds
away through the proceedings, and then I went back with a few others
to Travis O’Callaghan’s place where he began mixing cocktails
that, if I remember correctly, consisted of Rockford Rosé and Gin.
So, when Pete swings by to pick me up at 9 am on
Saturday morning, I haven’t yet made it back. He’s got a fresh-out
baby at home, so he sensibly didn’t come out to dinner on Friday.
But graciously he agrees to keep the appointment when I finally get
through to him, and we get stuck into some serious barrel tasting.
Even in my fragile state, I was thrilled by the wines
we tasted. Pete is quite a pragmatic winemaker: while he makes wines
in a restrained, almost European mould (although you’d probably
still pick them as new world), he’s not afraid of using technology
where it can assist him in his goal. These are wines destined to
be new Australian classics.
But while my mind is willing, my physiology is weak. By
the end of the sampling, I’m feeling very green indeed. I vow never
to drink again, ever. Well, at least to mid-afternoon, when it’s
time for the first round of Cooper’s Pale.
Here’s some notes from my barrel tasting.
Spinifex 2003 Grenache, dry grown 50 year old vineyard at
Greenock (North west of the Barossa). Lovely bright nose of sweet
fruit with a spicy edge. Lovely purity of fruit on the palate with
some spiciness and a chalky minerally edge. A blending component.
Spinifex 2003 Shiraz. Very deep coloured with lots of fruit
sweetness on the nose. Intense, dark aromatic fruit. Structured palate
with great intensity of dark fruits and spice. Serious.
Spinifex 2003 Shiraz, from 50 year old vineyards on limestone,
macerated for 2.5 weeks. Slightly shy nose. Dark black fruit
character. Hugely structured spicy palate. Taut and tannic with a
savoury, dry finish.
Spinifex 2003 Shiraz from 120 year old vineyard, southern end of
the valley. Dark, almost black. Sensational nose of aromatic dark
fruits and complex spices. Palate shows some sweet spice character.
It’s massively complex and full with lots of spice and dark fruits.
Remarkable.
 Spinifex
2003 Shiraz, same wine as above but in new oak. Dark,
sweet, intense nose. Lots of power on the palate with tannins and oak
influence.
Spinifex 2003 Shiraz Grenache. Quite open nose with lovely sweet
fruit and a spicy edge. Great structure on the palate. Expressive.
Spinifex 2003 Mourvèdre from north end of the valley, sand over
clay. Really interesting nose is spicy with a distinctive herby
character. Savoury, spicy, structured palate. Fascinating stuff.
Spinifex 2003 Mourvèdre. Very low yields of half a ton an acre.
Smooth, sweet dark fruits and spice on nose. The palate is
concentrated and intense with amazing spicy, savoury texture. Great
blending component.
Spinifex 2004 Grenache Mourvèdre. Very sweet, almost jammy ripe
nose with raspberry jam notes. Very ripe and pretty on the palate.
Spinifex 2004 100-year-old Pedro Ximenez vines grafted to
Shiraz. Some spicy reduction character on the nose, which shows
intense dark fruits. The palate has lovely intensity and structure.
Spinifex 2004 Shiraz, 50-year-old vines with Viognier in a
natural ferment. Dark and intense. Very sweet rich fruit with spicy
complexity and great concentration.
The same vineyard picked at the same time fermented
separately: structured, spicy nose is quite intense and rich with
lovely pure fruit on the palate and some spicy oak notes (seeing as
this is 10 year old oak, it’s likely the spice has come from the
grapes).
Spinifex 2004 Shiraz/Viognier, Eden Valley. Amazingly aromatic
and rich with liqueur-like fruit. Very spicy palate with lots of
fruit: quite full. Harvested at 16.5 Baume, pH 4.2, now it’s pH 3.5.
Spinifex 2004 Mourvèdre, 40 year old. Very vivid and spicy with
great concentration. Quite serious but with forward fruit, too.
Spinifex 2004 Kalimna Mourvèdre, 80 year old dry grown
vineyard. Amazing sweet, intense nose. Very expressive. Cherries,
raspberries, some minerals. Lovely structure and acidity on the
palate.
Spinifex 2004 Mourvèdre, 100 year old vines. Spicy, almost
gingery nose. Very rich and ripe on palate but with lots of structure.
Originally over 16% alcohol, but about 20% went through reverse
osmosis and now it’s about 14.2% alcohol.
After
tasting, it was back to Pete's to meet the family and eat some sausage
and livers, where I began to feel vaguely human again. Jason Schwarz
joined us; he was my next appointment.
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