2023 Spinifex Esprit

When Pete Schell started Spinifex back in 2001, wines like Esprit completely changed the conversation about what the Barossa could be. It shifted the focus away from sheer power and moved it toward perfume, finesse, and structure. Fast forward to the 2023 release, and it’s still one of the most compelling Grenache blends in the country, especially when you consider the pedigree of the fruit.

Pete sources this from eight different patches of dirt across the valley, including spots in Ebenezer and Williamstown. Some serious history here - the vine age ranges from 75 to over 150 years old. While the blend moves around occasionally, the Grenache was so strong this year that it really had to be the hero. It makes up over 80% of the blend, rounded out with bits of Shiraz, Counoise, and Cinsault.

It's textbook Spinifex winemaking, using wild yeasts and seasoned oak so the fruit does the talking. It’s not a heavy, syrupy red; instead, it’s deeply characterful and complex with a lovely savoury edge. 

If you’re a fan of old-vine Barossa reds that prioritise character over brute force, this is exactly what you should be looking for. Honestly, for the price, it’s hard to find anything else in the region that comes close to this level of quality.

95 points
"This has been superbly handled; it's fresh and complex, with pomegranate molasses, wet roses, cherry, graphite, licorice, star anise and fresh grated nutmeg (in that warming, spicy way that it has). There are notes of petrichor and wet asphalt too. It's excellent."
- Erin Larkin (The Wine Advocate)