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2018 Spinifex Esprit
Recommendations
Expert Reviews
Really beautiful and floral on the nose with dried flowers, as well as sage, highlighting the pretty berry character. Full-bodied, tight and chewy with lovely fruit and freshness. Linear centre palate. A blend of 56% Grenache, 40% Mataro and 4% Shiraz. Drink or hold.
Grenache. No 2016 or 2017 Esprit. Mataro and shiraz fill out the blend. Old vines (150-year-old plus for grenache). Good times. Very smart wine. Earthy, savoury bouquet with dried but fresh-feeling berry fruits, some dark chocolate notes, but faint, black jelly bean and anise. The palate is supple, draws long to a fine pucker, feels a bit ’emery board texture’ and shows some inky concentration though the wine rides high on cool acidity. It’s quite an elegant wine at the same time as being a bit rugged, in the best sense. I like this.
Tech stuff
How's it taste?
Complex, savoury, spice laden aromatics overlaying ripe red fruits – a pure expression of the Barossa. On first opening the Mataro leads, with sandlewood, cedar, wood smoke, soy, tobacco and hazelnut. The perfume of Grenache develops in the glass adding tart cranberry, tarragon, cassis, raspberry, lily and dried cherry aromatics over base notes of ink and black tea. Detailed and fine.
How was it made?
A Grenache and Mataro blend, with a seasoning of Shiraz, sourced from very old vineyards on the northern (Ebenezer) western (Moppa)and eastern edges (Angaston Foothills) of the Barossa Valley and from Springton in Eden Valley.
Vine ages range from 75 to over 150 years, all are dry-grown with minimal vineyard inputs. Old vineyards grown the old way. All vineyards are hand-harvested, whole bunch inclusion averaged 40 %, the balance destemmed only.
Fermented with indigenous yeasts with macerations varying from between 8-20 days. Partial pre-fermentation carbonic fermentation, limited remontage and pigeage.
Elevage was undertaken on light lees in seasoned demi-muid, foudres of 1250 L capacity, and stainless steel. Wines were unracked up until final blending. Bottled without filtration 11 months after harvest.
Who made it?
Spinifex was started in 2001 with the opportunity to source some great old vine Mataro growing in deep white drift-sand on the Barossa Valleys’ Western Ridge. Owned by husband and wife team, Peter Schell and Magali Gely, their focus is on regional wines from the traditional Mediterranean grape varieties that have been grown successfully in Australia for over 150 years - Shiraz, Mataro, Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan, Ugni Blanc, Grenache Gris, Marsanne and Semillon. They aim to make wines that display signatures of vineyard provenance and vintage, show regional typicity and have a consistent thread of 'house style' that reflects their preferences and experiences with wine. The wines they choose to make are predominately blends, the synergies derived from blending wines of differing character enhance the subtle complexities, even textures and profound personalities delivered from great old vine vineyards.
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