Spinifex Papillon 2022

Spinifex Wines owners and operators, Peter Schell and Magali Gely, have had a home in the Barossa Valley for over twenty years and hold a strong commitment to and passion for the Barossa. They also have a strong French connection, both physically and philosophically. Spinifex Wines grapes are sourced from a group of dedicated growers in both the Barossa and Eden Valleys, taking advantage of the great diversity of the soils and meso-climates of the Barossa to create wineswith balance, character, depth of flavour and Barossan generosity.

Pete Schell's Papillon was one of the first of the mod-Barossa wines to show that ripeness and depth of flavour needn't come at the expense of freshness and vineyard clarity. All these years later it remains at the very top of its game - if anything, it has never been in better form.

This year’s wine is drawn from three exceptionally old, dry-grown, bush-vine sites as last year. Unlike the Grenache-dominant 2021, the 2022 leads with Cinsault, with 87% of the blend. The lion's share of the Cinsault is sourced from a plot of pre-Great-War vines (1910) in the friable, deep, red-clay soils of Ebenezer, while the balance is sourced from a 40-year-old sandy plot in Bethany. The Grenache component comes from a plot of vines planted around 1890 in Vine Vale that are rooted in deep, coarse sandy soil. All three parcels are fermented as whole berries and matured in a mix of old, large oak foudres and stainless-steel tanks. The fresh and moderate conditions of 2022 have delivered one of the most consumable renditions of Papillon we have seen in some years. 

It’s a light, mouthwatering, fresh style of red with its core of sweet raspberry and red licorice flavour surrounded by dry spice and roasted nut characters. In short, it’s delicious. Frisky but with flavour; sweet-fruited but with ample savoury nuance. It’s more-ish plus plus. - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, 92 Points

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietals - Cinsault 87%, Grenache 13%
Country - Australia
Region - Barossa Valley, South Australia
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 12%