Spinifex Vermentino 2023 (6 Bottles), Barossa Valley

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This is a terrific example of this variety, sourced from a one-acre vineyard on hard, ironstone-rich soil in one of the highest parts of Koonunga Hill in the Barossa’s extreme north. Vermentino is a rugged, hardy variety that Schell says ripens relatively slowly here, retaining acidity while delivering generous texture.

Fermented wild after six hours on skins, it’s a pure and textured Barossa white with waxy lemon, white blossoms and a touch of chalkiness. From a cool and long season, the palate is pithy and fresh, full of zip and with a breezy, grippy saline close. It would challenge many a top Italian example.

Regarding the winemaking, whole bunches were cooled overnight before being placed in a small, enclosed stainless-steel tank for a natural ferment for 12 days prior to pressing. Schell enjoys the aromatic frequency, enhanced texture and the grip of skin contact that this ‘carbo blanc’ method brings to the wine.

Schell then blocked the malolactic, and the wine rested on full lees in a mix of stainless steel and large-format old wood, developing texture for ten months. Bottled without filtration, this would challenge many a top Italian example.