Spinifex Barossa Valley Grenache Gris 750ml

Vintage 2024

Pete Schell has been working with Grenache Gris for nearly thirty years, so while these vines at his Dominion vineyard are only four years old, he knows exactly how to handle them. They’re planted in the deep sands of Vine Vale, literally a stone's throw from the winery, sitting right next to some of the Barossa’s centurion Shiraz and Grenache vines.

Pete's very happy with how quickly this site has found its voice. He’s trellised the vines low to the ground and thins them out during the season to make sure the fruit really packs a punch. To get that signature texture, he gives the grapes a bit of time on skins before fermenting them in big, old French oak foudres.

The wine spent eight months on its lees, which gives it a lovely silky weight without losing any of that fresh, seaside energy. It’s got this cool mix of orange blossom and wild herbs, sitting over a core of salty summer peach.

It’s a textural, complex white that finishes with a distinct briny tang. If you’re looking for something outside the usual Barossa suspects, this is a brilliant example of why Pete is considered one of the most thoughtful winemakers in the country.

93 points "White wine with presence. This is the goods. Stonefruits, fistfuls of woodsy spice, brine, lemon myrtle and chalk characters really do talk up a good game here. There’s a gentle, grippy, textural element as well and a general impression of “body”. 100% convincing. Buy." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)