There’s an assuredness to the wine, concentration, yet a kind of finesse. It drinks superbly, richly, but freshly. Savouriness is the lingering message. A beauty.
Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
About The Wine
Spinifex is one of the treasures of the Barossa. A truly unique approach to winemaking and a wide, eclectic and delicious range of wines. This is a ripper too.
Unlike many of Spinifex's wines, 'Bete Noir' is 100% varietal, in this case, Shiraz. But unlike many big and bold Barossa Shiraz, this has perfume, elegance and finesse, without sacrificing that classic Barossan power and flavour. Vines aged 60-120 years old add a depth and complexity to the flavour that is rarely seen at this price point.
95 points from Mike Bennie, and just one of our favourite Barossa Shiraz.
About Spinifex
Spinifex is one of the undercover jewels of the Barossa Valley, and very much a pioneer of the changing direction of this famous region.
Husband and wife team Peter Schell & Magali Gely have extensive experience in southern France, which proves the inspiration for their unique wines made from predominantly Rhone varietals. Pete’s wines brought a new sensibility to the region; they were lower in alcohol, concentrated but elegant, and balanced to perfection. He takes the art of blending into the realm of the virtuoso.
There are few wineries who deliver refinement and poise from the Barossa Valley like Spinifex. These are brilliant Barossa wines.
About Spinifex
Spinifex is one of the undercover jewels of the Barossa Valley, and very much a pioneer of the changing direction of this famous region.
Husband and wife team Peter Schell & Magali Gely have extensive experience in southern France, which proves the inspiration for their unique wines made from predominantly Rhone varietals. Pete’s wines brought a new sensibility to the region; they were lower in alcohol, concentrated but elegant, and balanced to perfection. He takes the art of blending into the realm of the virtuoso.
There are few wineries who deliver refinement and poise from the Barossa Valley like Spinifex. These are brilliant Barossa wines.
Barossa Valley, SA
From the Producer
Viticulture
Twelve Barossa vineyards were the source for 2014 Bete Noir Shiraz. Vineyard age ranges from between 25 and 130 years, with 60 years being a fair average across the blend. Vineyards are located across a variety of the the Barossa's sub regions, the Eastern Foothills, Moppa, Moculta, and Eden Valley all contributing. All vineyards are owned and farmed by old Barossa families who have a deep pride and connection with their land and the Valley. Shiraz in the Barossa Valley is a cultivar particularly affected by harvest maturity, 2-3 days of additional time left on the vine can make a huge difference to its fruit expression and balance, both positive or negative, and consequently we invest a lot of time in our Shiraz vineyards prior to find what we hope is the best point of balance for harvest. Each vineyard is hand harvested and around 25-50 % of bunches are retained within ferments, with the balance only being destemmed.
Winemaking
Fermentations are undertaken in small open stainless steel and oak open fermenters with indigenous yeasts. Macerations vary by parcel and range from between 9 and 28 days. Young wines are left on lees in a selection of new and seasoned oak vessels, ranging in size from between 225 l and 3100 l, approximately 25 % being first use, for 16-18 months prior to assemblage. Bete is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Blend : Shiraz (100%)
ABV : 14.50%
Closure : Screw Cap
Drink Until : 2025
Bottle Size : 750ml
Barossa Valley, SA
Critic Reviews
"Sometimes I try and imagine what wines from the Barossa used to look like in ye olde days, as young wines, and it often comes to mind that the style might just be a little like this – unforced, but fully accepting of the sunshine, generosity and warmth of the region, a touch of savouriness, but freshness too. A style a step away from the steroidal misuse of some of Australia’s best vineyard assets. Vines here, across twelve vineyards, range in age from 60 to 120 years old. A portion of whole bunch is used in ferments and only 25% new oak for maturation. Indian ink stains of dark berry, ripe plum, tobacco, coal and sweet-savoury herbal character. It’s powerful in its perfume, assured in its passing through the mouth, generous, deep and sumptuous, but finds finesse through tannins that gently pucker. There’s an assuredness to the wine, concentration, yet a kind of finesse. It drinks superbly, richly, but freshly. Savouriness is the lingering message. A beauty." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
"Shiraz is mentioned in small handwriting on the back label, the use of phrase left to the imagination, but surely nothing to do with this wine with its spicy, savoury, essency, juicy dark fruit flavours that ask you back again and again as you taste it." - James Halliday (Halliday Wine Companion)
Delivery is Free for any order of $99 or more, or just $10 for any orders less than $99. There is no minimum order quantity and you can mix and match as much as you like. Make your perfect mixed pack! In Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Byron Bay we deliver with our own vans. All other areas are serviced by Australia Post.
Sydney Metro orders in the Pink Zone will be delivered the next day 5 days per week, Monday through Friday. Orders in the Blue Zone will be delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays. Everything outside these zones will be delivered by Australia Post.
Melbourne Metro orders are picked up at 12pm from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and delivered the following day in Melbourne (Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri). Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Melbourne Metro here. Everything outside of this zone will be dispatched next business day with Australia Post.
Brisbane Metro orders are picked up from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 12pm and delivered on Thursday or Friday. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Brisbane Metro here. Everything outside of this zone will be dispatched next business day with Australia Post.
Australia Wide Deliveries To the rest of Australia we use Australia Post. The Australia Post Collection Truck picks up orders from our Sydney warehouse every weekday at midday. If your order is placed before 12pm we’ll get it on the truck that day. Delivery times vary considerably with Australia Post and unfortunately there is no Express Delivery Option for wine (because it is fragile and heavy). PLEASE NOTE that we are currently seeing significant delays in the Australia Post delivery network. Strict government health and safety requirements and very high parcel volumes are causing significant backlogs at the main NSW and VIC sorting facilities. Orders are still arriving safe and sound but you may notice slower delivery times and less frequent scanning updates than usual.
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Returns are free for 100 days after purchase. You can view the conditions of our return policy here
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Do I have to order in dozens? No, please mix it up! You can order wines in any quantity and variation you like. You can order 1 bottle or 50. We challenge you to make the ultimate mixed pack of wine!
Are there volume discounts? No, our pricing is designed to be the best in market already - no marking up and then discounting down! For very large orders (weddings, etc) we are open to negotiating though. Just give us a call.
Do we price match? Yes, within reason. Everyday low & consistent pricing is something we strongly believe in. We want our customers to feel confident they are always getting the best price. If you see a price lower somewhere else let us know and we'll consider matching it. We'll even retrospectively issue you store credit if you have already purchased from us but you see a lower price somewhere later on. Our price match policy can be seen here.
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I am trying to add more of a wine to my cart but it won’t let me? This means we are running low on stock of that wine. So for example, if the website will only allow you to add 3 bottles and no more, then that is all we have of that particular wine. The good news is we may be able to order more for you. Just contact us on 1300 668 385 or hello@differentdrop.com and we'll organise the additional quantity for you.
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