2021 Spinifex Bete Noir Barossa Shiraz

"The 2020 Bete Noir Shiraz is exactly as I remember it. It is an excellent example of modern Barossa Shiraz that harnesses the traditional and projects the new-school freshness. It has purity and concentration buried right at its very core; cloistered around it is a cage of black tannin. There is sticky lamb fat, aniseed and resinous char, and spooling out through the finish is a tail of chewy delicious tannins. Balanced and exciting and striking. And of place. The fruit is from a vineyard site at the base of the hill (gravelly quartz washes over clay); it's a bit elevated off the valley floor, so there's good drainage and air flow. This has 30% whole bunch, 20% new oak, some larger formats, some concrete and 18 months in French oak."

"Pete Schell's Bête Noir is a shiraz composition from a number of Barossa parishes: Barossa , Moppa, Moculta, Eden Valley, High Eden, Bethany and the Eastern Foothills, usually around 35% whole bunches and aged in a range of French oak formats for 20 months. There is a beautifully pure, stony sense of calm and detail to this wine, with composed blackberry and cherry fruits, deep spice and meaty facets. It has brightness and clarity, not at the expense of fruit depth. Bright acidity provides the pulse and tannins akin to powdered granite give savoury support. It's great drinking." Drink by 2036