Spinifex wines are a husband and wife team (Peter Schell & Magali Gely) who have extensive winemaking experience in Southern France, which has proved the inspiration for their unique range wines made in the Barossa. Their wines bring a new sensibility to the region, with lower alcohols, concentrated flavour profiles, elegant and not at all overbearing and tied together seamlessly with wonderful balance. It's fair to say that there are very few wineries who deliver refinement and poise from the Barossa Valley like Spinifex do.

Pete has a long history of using Clairette as a blending component in his wines and this offering is only one of a handful of 100% Clairettes within Australia. It's a fascinating Mediterranean variety that naturally holds its acidity well, bringing freshness and depth to the whites of the Southern Rhône. Definitely one to try for lovers of textural whites with a point of difference, and of course, not breaking the bank.

The fruit for this is sourced from a single, elevated site in Rowland Flat on the eastern side of the Barossa Valley. The grapes were hand-harvested, chilled overnight and crushed, before maceration for around 4-8 hours. The settled juice was wild yeast fermented predominantly in stainless steel but with a small proportion of old French oak used.

Tasting Note:
Pete's mastery is on clear display yet again, striking a harmonious balance between impressive weight, silky texture and fresh acidity. This is a zingy, zesty style of wine with loads of citrus and almond character. The small maceration time has given an assertive phenolic grip (which is not unpleasant), and beautifully counterbalanced by crisp flavours of lemon zest and grapefruit, and a vibrant fresh finish.