A bête noire is the bane of one’s existence, an apt reference to the multitude of small parcels that go into this blend. Pete Schell’s ‘22 is a blend of old-vine Shiraz from the Barossa and Eden valleys, specifically, six different parcels from the sub-regions of Moppa, High Eden, Light Pass and the Eastern Foothills. Soils vary across the sites, from thin, skeletal sandy loams in the loftier plots to the classic sand-over-red-clay in the Moppa and Light Pass regions. Vineyard age ranges between 25 and 110 years, with “45 years being a fair average across the blend”, Schell reckons. So, 100% old-vine Shiraz from a great vintage in the hands of a master blender. Wonder how this is going to turn out…
The proportion of whole clusters varied from “everything to nothing” depending on the vineyard, with roughly 35% in the final blend. Maturation occurred in 35% new French barrels―ranging in capacity from 225-litre to 4500-litre―for 20 months before fining without filtration.
Inspired by the classically styled Barossa reds from the 1970s and ’80s (bottles plundered from friends’ parents’ cellars), it’s a refined, medium-bodied, detailed and aromatic wine. The old-world feel is strong with this one. This packs a serious punch, with a supple core of black and red fruit and veins of aromatic spice and savouriness. It’s rich, silky and powerful power in pitch-perfect measure. An incredible bargain, as usual.