Seppelt Arrawatta Hill Limited Release Grampians Shiraz 2019
- 95
- $80
- Drink by: 2021 - 20234
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It must be a point of pride that in its 170th year, Seppelt chooses to, in the words of new senior winemaker, Clare Dry, “push the boundaries of traditional Seppelt shiraz.” In keeping with that theme, the 2019 vintage is the first single-block wine from the Arrawatta Hill vineyard at Great Western which lies around 3km south of the winery. The wine also employs the popular red winemaking uber-trend of the moment: whole bunches. In this instance, partial whole bunch fermented parcels were used.
So, what do whole bunches (aka, grapes with stems) bring to the party? In this case, there’s a lovely, aromatic fruit lift. It’s there on the scent of the wine and the overall liveliness of the black-hearted fruits on show which, quite frankly, put on a bit of a star turn. It’s a mix of ripe blackberries, bramble and blueberries and don’t forget the lively spice. Fruit and spice go hand in hand here, not to mention a splash of pepper. Very Grampians.
Grampians Shiraz has an in-built friendliness and approachability, all of that is a given here. What is also on display is backbone in the form of a fine but, definitely noted, tannin presence. From whole bunches? Probably.
Oak, 10 months in a mix of French barriques and puncheons prior to blending and then four months in big oak vats post-blending, is pretty smart and classy. It’s also quite subtle allowing the fruit its centre stage.
Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.
