“Pete and his partner Magali Gely operate what I think is the best new-wave of small-scale Barossa wine companies to emerge at the beginning of the 21st century… These weren’t big, blockbuster, showy wines designed to impress. They were wines that managed to take the best of the Barossa’s sometimes forgotten varietal traditions and fuse them onto a very European flavour sensibility.” - Max Allen, The Future Makers
--- Pete Schell and the talented bunch at Spinifex in the Barossa bring a particular elegance and style that we simply adore each and every vintage, and one that very much feels unique to them alone, no matter how many other wines from the region we try. To celebrate their new releases, including some acclaimed single vineyard reds (La Maline, Indigene and the brand new Sol Solice Grenache), they will be on pour at our Friday tasting this week (14th July)! Pop by between 4 to 6pm, and knowledgable host Evan from Bibendum Wine Co. will be front and centre to tell you what makes each of these wines tick. Take a peek at the lineup below!
2022 Rosé - $23 on offer ; $26 RRP
"This stellar release marks the 20th vintage of Provençal styled rosé at Spinifex. This year it's a blend of Barossa Valley Grenache (52%), Mataro (30%), Shiraz (16%) and Cinsault (2%). The vines are all dry-grown and mainly bush vines with an average age of 50 years, although the oldest parcels reach up to 90 years of age. The fruit was all hand-picked and chilled overnight, before crushed bunches were macerated for between six and 24 hours before pressing. The wine was wild-fermented mainly in tank (with five per cent fermented and aged in old French oak demi-muids), and matured on lees prior to being bottled." - Bibendum
"Pete Schell makes a damn fine rosé. It sits light salmon in the glass showing aromas of nectarine, raspberry and grapefruit along with hints of redcurrant jelly, white flowers, crushed stone and maybe a touch of lanolin. Sapid and fine with a lovely shimmering acid line and savoury palate shape and an endearing lipsmacking briny finish that begs another glass.” - 94 Points, Dave Brookes, Wine Companion
2021 Lola White Blend - $25 on offer ; $28 RRP
"Pete Schell is crafting a slew of exciting, avant-garde whites from the Barossa and Eden Valleys these days, yet his ‘cherry cola’ blend is the original, and some would say the most multi-layered white. At three-quarters of the blend, Semillon again takes centre stage in this year’s Lola, joined by Clairette, Ugni Blanc and Vermentino. The Semillon—a grape that has been grown in the Barossa Valley since the 1850s—is sourced from three old-vine vineyards (65, 75 and 95 years old) located in Ebenezer, the foothills near Bethany and the valley floor close to the Para River. Schell’s extensive attention in the vineyards and a light touch in the shed have given us another exceptional release of this unconventional white. It’s a deliciously fresh and textured white blend, flush with stone fruits, citrus, salinity, spice, and some lovely hay and talc notes lending complexity. It’s fleshy with a nice phenolic tension, bracing acidity and a long, savoury finish—one of the Barossa’s most original white wines, and one of its best." - Bibendum
2021 Syrah - $25 on offer ; $29 RRP
"This is Pete Schell’s higher-toned, red-fruited and more floral expression of the Barossa—a yin to Bête Noir’s yang, you could say. To this end, Schell sources from 10 different plots throughout the Barossa and Eden Valleys from “...generally higher, cooler sites, where earlier harvesting gives wines with bright fruit expression and a textural freshness”. Vine ages vary from 25 to 100 years. From a near-ideal growing season that served up even ripening, great flavours and very good natural acidity, Schell’s 2021 captures a moreish mix of spicy meatiness, elegance and succulence. Initial dark and broody notes give way to bright shining acidity, vibrancy and a sense of energy and tension. It’s imbued with terrific depth and fine, sinewy tannins that curl around the tongue." - Winemaker Notes
"Syrah from a selection of vineyards in the Barossa and Eden Valleys, judicious use of whole clusters, matured on light lees in a combination of large-format vessels for around 8 months prior to bottling. Deep purple red in the glass, it's a rollicking, crunchy, bright and sapid ride with a gorgeous plume of plummy fruit, cut with spice and floral nuance, whole-bunch amaro notes and a sense of space, clarity and detail that brings a smile to the face. Such a wonderful drink and great value.” - 94 Points, Dave Brookes, Wine Companion
2021 Moppa Shiraz - $57 on offer ; $65 RRP
"Restrained Barossa power is balanced by perfectly pitched weight, structure, acidity and an incredibly persistent finish. It’s rich, deep, and a wee bit boisterous with abundant and complex flavours, seductive appeal and signature Spinifex balance. Modern Barossa at its best." - Bibendum
“Very deep, concentrated purple-red colour that stains the glass. Concentrated and powerful to sniff and taste with impressive depth of dark fruits, tar, bitumen dried herbs and black pepper; the palate is full-bodied and powerful, dense and rich, fleshy and profound with enduring length. Blackberry and licorice, a riot of flavour: it's an exercise in power delivered with elegance. A very big and very young shiraz with a great future.” - 96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
2022 Sol Solice Grenache - $57 on offer ; $65 RRP
"A sign of things to come, this first release is pure magic. It’s knee-deep in scents of berries, florals, earth and spice, while the palate is intensely flavoured, with ample texture, refreshing tannin and brightness all striking a flawless balance. Finishing with a beautifully long, tapered and perfumed close, this refined and layered Grenache over-delivers in every department. Southern Rhône, eat your heart out." - Bibendum
“Fabulously deep, dark and vibrantly red in the glass. Lifted aromas of anise, blackberry, bramble, pastilles, ironstone and graphite, really complex and evocative. Full, plush and decadent on the palate, there's a core of dark fruit, all mulberry, blackberry and dark, pithy cherry, there is also some graphite and licorice at play. The tannins are textured, drying and layered and provide mouth-feel, length and presence. Delicious!” - 95 Points, Aaron Brasher, The Real Review
2021 La Maline - $69 on offer ; $79 RRP
"La Maline, by design, is Spinifex’s purest and most finely structured expression of Barossa Shiraz. Vine age, altitude, ideal soils, dedicated viticulture and Pete’s skilled hand have resulted in a highly perfumed and savoury wine. It’s high-octane but remains lithe and elegant, with svelte and sinewy texture, stylish power and a multi-faceted, lengthy and potent close. Very much in best-ever territory here, this is excellent value to boot." - Bibendum
“Talk about nailing it. This slots straight into the realms of the glorious. It’s meaty, spicy, jammed with well-ripened fruit and just so well structured; so persistent. Plums and exotic spices, floral lifts, some undergrowth, some game. It feels filigreed; it feels certain. The complexity here, in a silken/seamless context, is right up there.” - 95 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
2021 Indigene Shiraz Mataro - $69 on offer ; $79 RRP
"This has always been Pete Schell’s ode to old-vine Barossa but with his own twist. It’s immediately appealing, with deep and captivating aromas of dark fruits, plenty of florals and spice. The complex palate is richly flavoured and textured. Tight tannins and driving fresh berry acidity complement the potency, fleshy/plump weight and noteworthy length. That said, it is still a pup, with plenty of excitement to come. 2021 is a brilliant rendition of Indigene that fans should not miss." - Bibendum
“Rich, full-blooded red wine served on rails of velvet. This is a seriously creamy wine, its saturated plum and blueberry flavours gliding through the palate before finishing with a juicy flourish. There’s fine-grained tannin and quite high acidity, but the fruit and oak characters here flush straight through both. Mint and clove notes are also part of the show, as is smoked cedar. It’s still finding its feet but the stuffing here is excellent.” - 93+ Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
If you wish to purchase any of these wines, please use the links above. Alternatively, email us at sales@thewineemporium.com.au, or contact us on (07)32521117 if you have any questions // Prices valid until Thursday the 6th of July