2022 Spinifex Bete Noir Barossa Shiraz

95 Points The Wine Front
In stock
A value sweet spot for incredible Barossa Shiraz from a cult producer. Seen as the baby brother to the outstanding La Maline, this 'black beast' is satisfyingly deep and complex, so it offers a good amount of the power and dimension of more expensive wines. A blend of old-vine Barossa Shiraz and Eden Valley Shiraz sourced from seven different small family vineyards. Vine age here is between 25 and 120 years, with 60 years the average across the blend. A richly satisfying and harmonious food wine for the price, the Bete Noir is exceptional value.
$49.99 in mixed 6+ or $55.99 per bottle

Grape

Shiraz

Its Origins

Spinifex is a trailblazing winery at the forefront of "The New Barossa" movement. Founded in 2001 by Kiwi Peter Schell and his wife Magali Gely, they are modern-day trailblazers; making elegant, unique wines of ultra-premium quality that are also un-formulaic and genuinely hand-crafted. Peter and Magali met in New Zealand in the 90s, and have had a home in the Barossa Valley for over twenty years now, with a strong commitment and passion for the region. They also have a strong French connection, both physically and philosophically. Magali's family, were vignerons for ten generations near Montpellier in southern France. Peter is a trained oenologist and brings a wealth of experience having made wines in Burgundy, Switzerland, Provence, Bordeaux and Minervois in the Languedoc. Perhaps this explains the strong European feel of their wines. The grapes are sourced from a group of dedicated family growers in both the Barossa and Eden Valleys. The great diversity of the soils and meso-climates of the Barossa, create wines with balance, character, and depth of flavour. The vineyards Peter uses both in the region range from 50 - 120 years old. Schell finds that these old vines – which have tolerated the rigours of drought and heat – produce fruit of exceptional depth, with the indefinable savoury flavours that set Spinifex apart from the stereotypical Barossa style.

What The Critics Say

94/100 The Wine Front, Campbell Mattinson

"This is a Barossa Shiraz for all-comers. It’s bold, rich and flavoursome but it’s also complex and tannic. It gives and it gets. It tastes of peanut shells and saturated plums, fragrant herbs, raisins, purple flowers, a ferrous note and red licorice. It carries a keen spread of tannin but this tannin is drenched in fruit flavour. In short, it delivers lashings of flavour in serious style." Drink 2025 - 2035

96+/100 Parker's Wine Advocate, Erin Larkin (2020 vintage)

"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."

95/100 Halliday's Wine companion, Dave Brookes (2021 vintage)

"Pete Schell's Bête Noir is a shiraz blended across a selection of Barossan grounds including a portion from the cooler Eden Valley. Typically sporting a super-saturated, magenta-splashed hue with aromas of bright plum, black cherry and blueberry fruits cut with hints of violets, brown spice, ironstone, dark chocolate, smoked meats, cherry confit and earth. Glossy and impressively pure, there's ferrous edge to the tight tannins and an acid line that propels the pure fruit briskly across the palate, finishing elegant yet opulent."

Variety Shiraz / Syrah
Region Barossa
Closure Cap
Volume 750ml
Alcohol 14.00%
Maturity 2024 - 2035

This Wine Goes Well With

with BEEF
with GAME
with LAMB

Taste

4

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If for any reason you are not entirely happy with your order or you suspect that they may be affected by a quality issue, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will remedy the problem straight away. Contact us on 0800 422 767.