Established by the Lindner family in 1944 and now owned by Lion Nathan, St Hallett is among the Barossa’s bigger players and best known names.
In the early days, fortified wine was the mainstay. This was the norm back then and explains why the company has such a terrific resource of Port grape Touriga Nacional, as well as Shiraz.
Under the direction of Carl Lindner and winemakers Bob McLean and Stuart Blackwell, St Hallett was an early pioneer of table wines, especially Shiraz, which the three championed during the government’s notorious vine pull scheme of the 1980s. A move more than vindicated by the success of Flagship Shiraz St Hallett Old Block, which was first made in the 1980s.
These days old vines are widely (and wisely) cherished and their fruit highly sought after, especially since growers have started to make wine themselves. This in turn has given great impetus to a trend for single district and single vineyard wines. And that’s not the only ripple. Keen to show off a wine’s roots or, if you will, particular patch of dirt, there’s less manipulation in the winery.
As I discovered when I visited with Assistant Winemaker Shelley Cox, well versed in the tradition of innovation, St Hallett is has its finger firmly on the pulse. In addition to the regular Shiraz range (the aptly named Faith Shiraz, Blackwell and Old Block), the company started making its first single vineyard wines in 2008. Check out the map on the back labels and, as they say, x marks the spot!
For Cox, the move reflects a shift in emphasis which holds true for the entire range, single vineyard or not. She says “it used to be here’s the oak, there’s the fruit, but now it’s here’s the fruit, there’s some oak, plus the matching of oak to fruit is more nuanced.”
It’s an outcome of today’s constant communication between winemakers, viticulturists and growers, which she observes has led to a better understanding of each block of vines “so we can match vineyards with oak and cooper [yeasts too].” She adds “we’re also improving the sourcing of our American oak, which comes from several coopers.”
Here are my notes on a benchmark batch of bright, modern Barossa reds:
St Hallett Gamekeeper’s Reserve 2009
This is an immensely gluggable Shiraz/Grenache with a bang on trend dash (9%) of Touriga Nacional (vineyard pictured below). It shows bouncy juicy sweet red and black fruits with white pepper and rock rose lift to the finish. A sneak preview of the 2010 (a sample) looked exciting – I like the depth of flavour and balance of this vintage. Inevitably tighter, the palate promised great perfume and layer with its rock rose, turkish delight and minerals. Lovely fine tannins too. Often on deal at Waitrose and The Co-operative most recently, it’s well worth snapping up.
St Hallett Faith 2009
The fruit for this deeply coloured Shiraz is sourced from around 30 growers. It sees around 30% new oak (French & US). A significant proportion of southern Barossa Valley floor and Eden Valley fruit makes for a bright, aromatic wine with red cherry as well as blackberry fruit. Good freshness, definition and persistence if perhaps lacking a bit of character. But much better that than overripe or stewy! Subtle oak and fine tannins too. Well done.
St Hallett Blackwell Shiraz 2009
Aged for 20 months in American oak, Blackwell harnesses the so-called power end of the Barossa Valley, the north west pocket, specifically, the districts of Ebenezer, Seppeltsfield and Greenock. For Cox, Ebenezer’s luscious fruit sits perfectly into the structure of Greenock’s and Seppeltsfield’s bigger boned wines. It’s a great call. The mid-palate is bold and rich, with brooding, ripe but bright, very juicy blackberry and blueberry fruit, still super primary. Which is not to say that this backward wine is in the least Neanderthal. Far from it, well-defined and bright, it’s a thoroughly modern Barossa bruiser! Give it time to unleash its inner beauty.
St Hallett Old Block Shiraz 2008
The flagship old vine Shiraz (60 to over 100 years old vines) gets the French oak treatment and, in this warm year, Cox says this Eden/Barossa Valley blend has a fair whack of Eden Valley fruit. It’s impressively groomed and harmonious, showing intense, layered and persistent juicy blueberry and blackcurrant fruit teased out over a long chassis of ripe, savoury tannins. So well mannered it’s eminently broachable, but it’ll be more complex and rewarding with the burnish of bottle age.
St Hallett Single Vineyard Series Materne Vineyard Shiraz, Greenock 2009
Red earth over ironstone accounts for the long, tapering, gravelly tannins behind this wine’s plump belly of concentrated juicy blueberry and blackberry fruit. Very good.
St Hallett Single Vineyard Series Hampel Pipeline Shiraz, Kalimna 2009
Kalimna tends to be flatter than Greenock with sandy loam soils and, for Cox, this makes for more mouthfilling tannins. Indeed, despite the somewhat unseductive name, this is a seductive, expansive wine with plenty of weight in the mouth and a hint of savoury black treacle to its black berry and cherry fruit. Powerful, textured tannins keep this hearty Shiraz in check. Again, very good.
St Hallett Single Vineyard Series Scholz Shiraz, Ebenezer 2009
Ebenezer is also renowned for its luscious fruit and this opulent but nonetheless elegant, fluid Shiraz sports deliciously perfumed, velvety blueberry and plum fruit wed to super supple tannins – smooth as.
St Hallett Single Vineyard Series Dawkins Shiraz, Eden Valley 2009
A world apart from the north west Barossa Valley wines, this wine comes from a vineyard at 380m altitude in the eastern Barossa ranges and Eden Valley’s cooler shines through. It’s less inky in hue than its north western peers with distinct eucalyptus and mint julep notes to its ripe raspberry fruit. Ripe but present tannins make for a well defined finish – good line. A benchmark example of Eden valley Shiraz. I also tasted a sample of the 2010 which, like the Gamekeeper’s Reserve, looks to have a tad more depth and concentration, with dried sage rather than menthol notes. Very promising.
St Hallett Single Vineyard Series Mattschoss Shiraz, Eden Valley 2009
This also hails from the Eden Valley, but from a slighter higher site at 419m with ironstone soils. I loved its grunty, peppery, savoury tannin textured palate and silky fruit. With lovely fluidity, it’s not about muscle. Rather this is a sensual wine to saturate your taste buds. Rhônish with a subtle touch of eucalypt. Terrific.
Check out my reports on Yalumba’s and First Drop’s single vineyard Shiraz wines here and here.
Sarah Ahmed
The Wine Detective
(Wines tasted July 2011)
