Spinifex was started by Magali Gely and Peter Schell in 2001. Magali comes from a family that has been growing wine near Montpellier for over ten generations, whilst Peter is a trained oenologist and has made wine in Burgundy, Switzerland, Provence, the Minervois, the Languedoc, Bordeaux and New Zealand. Peter and Magali’s combined backgrounds led to the belief that the vineyard is paramount in the production of unique, authentic wines, and that the wines they produce should not only reflect their sites; showing richness and intensity; but also, be well-balanced and a pleasure to drink.
Pete Schell should be considered one of the pioneers of the ‘new Barossa’, in that he was perhaps the first to truly grasp that seeking ripe fruit at lower Baumé and large format, or at least neutral oak was the way to go in the Barossa. He knew that power came naturally in this part of the world and that his efforts need to be directed at finding perfume and finesse and digestibility. He also grasped the importance of the old parcels of heritage grape varieties (much of which had been grubbed up) and worked hard to lock down what he could.
This is Pete Schell’s higher-toned, red-fruited and more floral expression of the Barossa. To this end, Schell sources from 10 different plots throughout the Barossa and Eden Valleys from “...generally higher, cooler sites, where earlier harvesting gives wines with bright fruit expression and a textural freshness”. Vine ages vary from 25 to 100 years.
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