Sami-Odi 'Baby Tui' Syrah 2012

Sami-Odi is not built on scale or consistency—it’s about curation. McKinley’s approach to wine is more akin to an artist building a body of work: careful, layered, and always evolving. Each release is a blend of individual ferments, often across vine age, blocks, and even vintages. The result is not showy but intricate—wines that unfold slowly, offering both immediate pleasure and long-term intrigue.

This is Barossa through a new lens. The ripeness and power are there, but reined in by early picking, thoughtful canopy work, and a refusal to follow formula. Ferments range from carbonic to traditional, all pressed in small basket lots and matured in neutral oak. What emerges is Syrah with tension and soul—equal parts structure and spontaneity, driven more by instinct than recipe. McKinley doesn’t talk much about technique. He talks about the vineyard, the blend, and how it all feels. And the wines speak fluently in return.