We aim to have all wines be vintage specific. In the case the listed vintage is out of stock and you note you would like that particular vintage, we will inform you via email for approval to go ahead.
twf94
The Wine Front – “It’s flush with fruit but there’s a meatiness to this and its churned with tannin too, grainy tannin. Charred meats, blackberries and blueberries, a floral element and fist loads of roasted spice. It’s bold but neat, tannic but not at the expense of the overall flow. Excellent gear, this.” - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
jh95
James Halliday – “Pete Schell's Bête Noir is a shiraz blended across a selection of Barossan grounds including a portion from the cooler Eden Valley. Typically sporting a super-saturated, magenta-splashed hue with aromas of bright plum, black cherry and blueberry fruits cut with hints of violets, brown spice, ironstone, dark chocolate, smoked meats, cherry confit and earth. Glossy and impressively pure, there's ferrous edge to the tight tannins and an acid line that propels the pure fruit briskly across the palate, finishing elegant yet opulent.” - Dave Brooks, winecompanion.com.au
About This Wine
A Bête Noir is the bane of one’s existence and refers to the multitude of small parcels that go into this blend. Pete Schell’s ‘21 is a blend of old-vine Barossa Shiraz and Eden Valley Shiraz sourced from vines across nine small family vineyards of Barossa’s sub-regions—with the eastern foothills, Moppa, Eden Valley and Light Pass all playing contrasting roles. Vineyard age ranges between 25 and 125 years, with “65 years being a fair average across the blend”, according to Schell. So, 100% old vine Shiraz from a great vintage in the hands of a master blender. Wonder how this is going to turn out…
The proportion of whole clusters varied from “everything to nothing” depending on the vineyard, with roughly 35% in the final cuvée. Vinified with indigenous yeast fermentation, élevage on lees in new (35%) and seasoned French oak barrels—ranging in capacity from 225-litre to 4500-litre—for 20 months before bottling without filtration.
“It’s a really good year”, offers Pete Schell of 2021, in typically economical fashion. Factoring in his penchant for understatement, “a really good year” for Schell means something a little more for the rest of us. Inspired by the classically styled Barossa reds from the 70s and 80s (bottles plundered from friend's parents’ cellars), it’s a refined, medium-bodied, detailed and aromatic wine with the ‘last-man-standing’ confidence of a truly exciting vintage.
| Type | Red Wine |
|---|---|
| Varietal(s) | Shiraz |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | Barossa Valley |
| Brand | Spinifex |
| Vintage | 2021 |
Barossa Valley Wine
The Barossa Valley wine region has historically and currently still is one of Australia's most prestigious premium wine producing regions. Located just 60km north east of Adelaide city centre, the climate there is very hot and dry which is perfect for the big bold reds the area is famous for.
A straight Shiraz is what Barossa is most well known for, however Rhone blends, such as Shiraz Cabernet are also very popular. While much less prevalent, white wines (Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillon) are planted on the higher altitude hillsides where the ocean breeze cools temperatures down to a level suitable for producing these varieties as well.
Some of Australia's earliest Shiraz plantings can be found here dating as far back as the 1850's. While not always a guarantee of quality, it might be worth seeking out and trying one of the region's "old vine shiraz" if you haven't yet.
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