S.C. Pannell, `Dead End` McLaren Vale Tempranillo

S.C. Pannell, `Dead End` McLaren Vale Tempranillo

Vintage: 2021

VintageProduct CodeFormatClosureAvailability
2021SP118A2112 x 75ScrewcapAvailable
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 Tempranillo is sourced from two of the oldest plantings in McLaren Vale, where the vines are over 20 years old. These vineyards are planted on grey loams over clay approximately 50 metres above sea level and the quality of the grapes gave winemaker Stephen Pannell faith to plant more of this variety at his own Amery Road vineyard 'Koomilya'. This vintage now also contains fruit from this site, which is planted on sandy soils at an elevation of 80 metres in the heart of Upper Tintara. Tempranillo is ideally suited to McLaren Vale's climate and this wine is a perfect example of what is possible.

Vintage

The 2021 season in McLaren Vale started with significant rainfall throughout September and October, leading to the wettest spring since 2016. This was followed by a warmer than average November which pushed flowering through quickly. December and January were mild (both below the long-term mean) and the absence of extreme heat (only a short heatwave in January), meant that the vines remained healthy and hydrated. Rain in late January and early February boosted soil moisture but wasn’t enough to cause disease pressure. Veraison was later than average and along with a mild and dry March, contributed to a longer and slower ripening period.

Vinification

The Dead End is made from 100% Tempranillo. The 20 year old vines were picked first and fermented separately from the Koomilya grapes. Both batches were fermented in open top fermenters and left on skins for a total of 11 days. Blending took place before maturation for nine months in French oak puncheons.

Tasting Notes & Technical Details

This wine is highly perfumed with powerful notes of cherry and dark chocolate with hints of sweet cola and sandalwood. Floral notes of rose and lavender add a delicate touch. On the palate, this wine is juicy with well-integrated, firm tannins that fill the mouth and lead to a rich and spicy finish.

Alcohol (ABV)

14%