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Sue Trott’s Wilpena vineyard lies in the heart of Blewitt Springs. The vines were planted in 1952 and are dry-grown on deep sand. It faces quite steeply east—an uncommon aspect in McLaren Vale—and so misses out on a lot of the warm late afternoon sun. Of this site, Andre Bondar gushes “Sometimes when you walk into a vineyard that is this beautiful, you can’t help but think that it must make amazing wine.”
In 2021, the absence of heat waves, the sunny warm days and the elongated ripening period led to what could be "one of the greater vintages of the last decade". Picked for crunch and vibrancy, the fruit was wild fermented with 30% whole bunches—to aid in building fine structure and bring out the best of the site's darker-fruited profile. The wine went to old French oak puncheons for around 10 months and was bottled by hand without fining or filtration.
This bolts from the gate, laden with red fruits, spice, steely minerality and anise. It’s impressively structured, with a compelling tannin profile framing plush fruits, savoury fringes and perfectly pitched acidity. Deliciously impressive, with driving length and plenty of years to go.