S.C. Pannell, McLaren Vale Grenache/Shiraz/Touriga
Vintage: 2021
| Vintage | Product Code | Format | Closure | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | SP115A21 | 12 x 75 | Screwcap | Available |
Producer
In a very short space of time, Stephen Pannell has gone from being one of Australia’s best and brightest young talents to one of their most lauded winemakers.
He is a two-time winner of the fabled Jimmy Watson Trophy, the most prestigious wine award in Australia, and also won the top prize at the Alternative Varietals Wine Show three out of the last five years. Stephen moved into his own McLaren Vale winery in 2014, and now owns 36 hectares of vineyard. This control over his fruit has enabled him to take quality to an even higher level.
One of the key factors behind his success is the freshness in all his wines, something he achieves by picking earlier. “I can only pick early due to better viticulture”, he says. He is looking for the varietal ‘stamp’ rather than ‘varietal character’ in his wines, causing him to create blends such as the Grenache/Shiraz/Touriga, where the sum is greater than the parts. Because of this fresher ‘stamp’, he is also actively reducing oak influence in his wines by moving to larger, more neutral oak vessels.
It is difficult to pick out just one star among his wines. The early release ‘Basso’ Garnacha is unfiltered, with low sulphur, for drinking in its youth. The Grenache/Shiraz/Touriga has brilliant colour and is fresh and lifted on the nose with soft, supple tannins on the palate. When asked about the Tempranillo/Touriga blend, Stephen explains, “the more I work with Touriga, the bigger a part of this blend it becomes.
The ‘Dead End’ Tempranillo is perfumed and juicy with well-integrated tannins, backing up Stephen’s belief that Iberian grape varieties are ideally suited to McLaren Vale. ‘The Vale’ is an old-vine Grenache/Shiraz blend made from over 70-year-old vines, with rich black fruits on the palate and a silky texture. Like all of Stephen’s wines, the ‘Field Street’ Shiraz is made with minimal intervention and therefore faithfully expresses the purity and breadth of McLaren Vale Shiraz. The ‘FiFi’ Fiano, named after Stephen’s wife, is as exciting as it is delicious. It has a beautiful textural quality, with aromas and flavours of white nectarine, pink grapefruit, lemongrass and honeysuckle.
The ‘Smart’ Clarendon Grenache hails from McLaren Vale’s highest Grenache vineyard (230 metres above sea level), planted on its oldest soils (up to 750 million years old). Here, the dry-grown bush vines produce a richly perfumed, elegant wine with ripe red berry freshness, violets and grainy tannins. This is a beautiful counterpoint to the more powerful, structured, juicy dark fruits and savoury character of the ‘Old McDonald’ McLaren Vale Grenache from Blewitt Springs. Both wines show Grenache’s great potential for site expression in McLaren Vale and, says Stephen, “its place in the line-up of the world’s great varietal wines.”
Vineyards
The Grenache vineyards are on deep sand with a north-westerly exposure and are simply managed, without pesticides, to ensure the optimal expression of the fruit. Vines are over 71 years old. The Shiraz is from the Blewitt Springs vineyard that is 41 years old and lies on very similar soils to the Grenache. Deep sandy soils encourage a larger root system, which safeguards the vine against extreme weather conditions. The Touriga fruit is sourced from a 10 year old block in Langhorne Creek.
Vintage
The 2021 vintage is described by SC Pannell as ‘mostly joyous but not without its challenges’. Good winter rain led to strong growth with good cover in the mid row and under vine well into summer. No disease pressure, good canopies and plentiful bunches led to a long ripening season. The greatest challenge was having enough hours in the day and enough people to help with harvesting the plentiful and perfectly ripe fruit.
Vinification
The Grenache and Shiraz grapes were crushed and co-fermented, spending approximately 10 days on skins before gentle pressing. The Grenache-Shiraz blend was sent to French oak puncheon for maloactic fermentation before maturation in stainless steel vats. The Touriga was picked later, and then it was crushed and fermented in stainless steel with daily pump overs before pressing. It was then sent to puncheon for malolactic fermentation and maturation. The wine was blended and then bottled without fining or filtration.
Tasting Notes & Technical Details
A vibrant and fruit-driven wine. Notes of raspberry bon bons, cherry, blueberry and dark chocolate are wrapped in panettone aromas provided by the Touriga. On the palate, this wine has a silky texture and is medium-bodied with racy acidity. The complex aromas follow right through to the long finish.
Alcohol (ABV)
14.5%