Tasting Notes
"Darkest crimson. Stunning aroma that is both intensely floral and deeply savoury/mineral – both balsamic and minty, smoky, herbal and rich black fruit. Extraordinarily complex aroma. Equally complex on the palate. Dark-fruited sweetness with an umami savour and yet also a floral side. Juicy, slightly medicinal (in a good way), fine-grained but firm tannins, like pushing against canvas pulled tight. A highly distinctive combination of floral and savoury and absolutely delicious. This can only be a careful stewarding of the vineyards. Winemaking alone cannot create this complexity. Very long finish. I would describe it as an Australian Côte Rôtie and hope the comparison does not offend anyone. Should age well. GV 2026-2039" 18/20, Julia Harding MW Son of Dave Powell, pioneer of Torbreck. Flaxman Valley, within Eden Valley, is at 1,650 ft (503 m) in elevation. The fruit is is sourced from three sites in the valley, cooler than many in the Barossa, and wetter: Powell’s family’s old-vine home block, which is over 100 years-old; a steep hillside vineyard, Naimanyna, on their neighbour’s property around 500 m; and another neighbour’s vines, Burley Hill. Mainly granite and quartz with loamy topsoil. Organic but not certified. Fermentation with ambient yeast in stainless steel (100% semi-carbonic). Aged 2–14 months sur lie in demi-muids and puncheons. (These details taken from the 2023 tech sheet so there may be a little variation.) Very low production.
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Callum Powell has learnt from the best when it comes to Syrah. He practically grew up at the powerhouse that is Torbreck, the Barossa winery his father co-founded. He went on to make wine with his dad under the label Powell & Sons working with prime Barossa sites which gained him much international attention. But he cites the year at Jean-Louis Chave in the Northern Rhone, one of THE top producers of Hermitage and St Joseph as the most formative in honing and learning his craft. It's here that he began to understand the true provenance and terroir through the diversity of the 7 different lieux-dits that Chave farms.Influenced by Chave, Callum opted to name his wines after the towns from which the fruit is sourced. Please note! These are not Torbreck-styled over-oaked power houses - these are lithe, pure, and unadulterated wines without the heavy oak influence that the region is known for. There's a certain sinew to them and a nervy youth and chalkiness to the tannins. The feedback so far from just a few sommeliers has been out of this world and with some blinding recent reviews from the Wine Advocate, we're thrilled.