Words by Mike Bennie P&V co-founder...
Late each January, for over a decade, it’s been a beautiful ritual to do a catch up, series of high fives, a hug and tasting with the impossibly genial vigneron and winemaker Fraser McKinley.
The ritual actually started before his singular, Sami-Odi project existed through his former life working in and amongst Torbreck winery, also of the Barossa. Back then, it was more beer and brooding reds than the focus and detail that comes with current tastings of his wines, but the groove has been made and the rite realised with Sami-Odi the currency of today.
The original Sami-Odi tastings came with Fraser doing his rounds of Sydney. We’d find an odd spot, a pub, a park bench, my home-office, open wines then do a deep dive on the season and blending. The process continues, but with the lockdowns of Covid (and subsequent online meet-ups instead of face-to-face) we’ve switched up the program and now I visit Fraser in situ in Angaston, Barossa – a healthy reversal to get me walking vineyards and kicking dirt instead of sanitising in an office in the big smoke.
Off already a high bar, Fraser has been ludicrously generous over the past two years by instigating tastings of entire collections of his wines. A unique thing, Fraser himself hasn’t done the memory lane tasting all his wines ever-made, until our past two outings. In 2024 we tasted all the Hoffman Dallwitz vintage wines (and all the new releases), while this year’s tasting focused on all the ‘Little Wine’ wines. These are Sami-Odi’s non-vintage syrah assemblies of multiple parcels from past vintages. The Little Wine also includes current release wine as a foundation stone in the blend. An epic set of wines, indeed.
To get there I went a circuitous path. One fine Friday a few weeks ago, I set off in the P&V delivery van from Sydney complete with futon bed in the back, a bunch of black t-shirts, a towel for random swims, and a very well-stocked Esky. The first night was spent fending off zinging gnats and a swerving fog of mosquitoes camped up alongside the mighty Murrumbidgee river, just outside the old grain town of Leeton. Pies for breakfast after a shower-bath in the Murrumbidgee set a nice tone.
Following, a long, baking drive through the dust of the Mallee Highway and its pink lakes and ghost towns. Water views were in mind, so the silver steed ended up in Horseshoe Bay at Port Elliot. The genial, historic town’s beachside car park, in the shadow of the bowls club, became a handy, non-official, but official enough camping location. Better yet, the location ended up with the Hail Mary of a sauna-on-a-trailer beside the van by morning, ready for sweats and dips in the friskiness of ocean.
The ritual actually started before his singular, Sami-Odi project existed through his former life working in and amongst Torbreck winery, also of the Barossa. Back then, it was more beer and brooding reds than the focus and detail that comes with current tastings of his wines, but the groove has been made and the rite realised with Sami-Odi the currency of today.
The original Sami-Odi tastings came with Fraser doing his rounds of Sydney. We’d find an odd spot, a pub, a park bench, my home-office, open wines then do a deep dive on the season and blending. The process continues, but with the lockdowns of Covid (and subsequent online meet-ups instead of face-to-face) we’ve switched up the program and now I visit Fraser in situ in Angaston, Barossa – a healthy reversal to get me walking vineyards and kicking dirt instead of sanitising in an office in the big smoke.
Off already a high bar, Fraser has been ludicrously generous over the past two years by instigating tastings of entire collections of his wines. A unique thing, Fraser himself hasn’t done the memory lane tasting all his wines ever-made, until our past two outings. In 2024 we tasted all the Hoffman Dallwitz vintage wines (and all the new releases), while this year’s tasting focused on all the ‘Little Wine’ wines. These are Sami-Odi’s non-vintage syrah assemblies of multiple parcels from past vintages. The Little Wine also includes current release wine as a foundation stone in the blend. An epic set of wines, indeed.
To get there I went a circuitous path. One fine Friday a few weeks ago, I set off in the P&V delivery van from Sydney complete with futon bed in the back, a bunch of black t-shirts, a towel for random swims, and a very well-stocked Esky. The first night was spent fending off zinging gnats and a swerving fog of mosquitoes camped up alongside the mighty Murrumbidgee river, just outside the old grain town of Leeton. Pies for breakfast after a shower-bath in the Murrumbidgee set a nice tone.
Following, a long, baking drive through the dust of the Mallee Highway and its pink lakes and ghost towns. Water views were in mind, so the silver steed ended up in Horseshoe Bay at Port Elliot. The genial, historic town’s beachside car park, in the shadow of the bowls club, became a handy, non-official, but official enough camping location. Better yet, the location ended up with the Hail Mary of a sauna-on-a-trailer beside the van by morning, ready for sweats and dips in the friskiness of ocean.
From nirvana to nirvana, a winding ride to Tom Shobbrook’s Flaxman Valley farm for a walk through the tufts of dry grown vines, a pat of Highland cows, and a slurp of near-to-bottle wines from all manner of exotic vat and barrel - deliciousness abounds here. Stay tuned for releases of textural, mineral charged whites, fresh, bright reds and poise from deeper, brooding red things.
A bed! Coffee by Tom! To Vanguardist’s gaff on a gnarled vineyard in the lee of the mighty Seppeltsfield winery! Lunch of homemade pizza, outrageously good roast chook and greens from the garden by the hands of winemakers (and chefs!) Michael and Claire Corbett; yes thanks. Vanguardist’s perfumed but tense, sinewy grenache is on fire. So too the new Syrah with its slinky lines, wild red fruits and scree of herbaceous.
Alongside, Ben Marx of Gertie wines showed off his topflight cabernet franc from Clare with new releases (in 550ml ceramic jugs of all things!) of reserve riesling and cabernet franc, both vividly delicious and complex wine. He’s been a one wine winery since inception, now he has three. Exciting. Stay tuned…
Then to Fraser and the Little Wine through 14 releases…
As I wrote on WineFront: What an extraordinary and kindly dealt opportunity to taste such a significant wine. Thank you Fraser McKinley. A mainlining of something very special in its consideration and execution; Sami-Odi Little Wine sits comfortably in Australian cult wine status for its quality and originality. Thanks so much to Fraser for this generosity, again.
Waffle from me! ‘What a ripper!’, as Fraser would say, ‘you little f&%king beauty!’, he’s also known to exclaim.
Little Wine has, since inception, been a vintage blend of shiraz from the Hoffman Dallwitz vineyard in the Barossa Valley. Fraser has grown his pantry of past vintage wines to increase complexity and to ensure seasoning can be adjusted accordingly for the new wine (new vintage) that usually forms the basis of the blend.
This new release Little Wine is a head-spinning blend of: 2024 (37%), 2023 (32%), 2022 (12%), 2021 (8%), 2020 (4%), 2019 (3%), 2018 (1%), 2017 (2%), 2016 (1%), 2015 (1%). It also has Little Wines #10, #11 and #13 in it, so the trace elements of older vintages come in from that. Blended in September. The 2023 component is a lot of old vine material, as a bolstering element, and somewhat lush and soft, whereas the 2024 is firmer and more structured, so that played a part in thinking here.
Inky and yet distinct in its purity, like a thick set, muscular potion or nectar, but with a growl of lithe, gravelly tannins, dash of lifting pepper, dried herbs, undergrowth, rhubarb; distinctly dark fruited, somewhat blue-fruited, but has a slinkiness, a drinkability, a kind of elixir-like charm and ease. Liquorice and some charry spice to finish, with a lick of alpine herb. There’s so much on here, layers and layers, and the richness perplexing when you consider the wild drinkability and early enjoyment. Brilliant. (WineFront)
In the context of Every Release Of Little Wine Ever, this was right up there for excellence and interest, plus the bonus of youthful drinkability.
For the vintage wines, the Hoffman Dallwitz vineyard syrah is of course the mainstay, but Our Hill, a singular syrah from the hand-planted, hand-tended, organic farmed vineyard behind the family home, is more recent to the range.
The 2023 Hoffman Dallwitz comes from a vintage where yields were at a near all-time high. Concentration is up, potency in the wine is there, black olive, palate-staining tannins, earth and gravelly minerality, dark fruits, woody spices. Lush, beautiful, haunting stuff. The Our Hill 2023 wine is more modest but also shows off gravelly-minerality, though the fruit is redder and perkier, the spice and herbs more piquant, an autumnal character in the mix, but freshness finds a stride here. A very beautiful wine.
Gratitude flows as always to have a preview of these wines with Fraser at the end of the bottle, and then at the end of the BBQ tongs and his magnificent cellar.
Little Wine has, since inception, been a vintage blend of shiraz from the Hoffman Dallwitz vineyard in the Barossa Valley. Fraser has grown his pantry of past vintage wines to increase complexity and to ensure seasoning can be adjusted accordingly for the new wine (new vintage) that usually forms the basis of the blend.
This new release Little Wine is a head-spinning blend of: 2024 (37%), 2023 (32%), 2022 (12%), 2021 (8%), 2020 (4%), 2019 (3%), 2018 (1%), 2017 (2%), 2016 (1%), 2015 (1%). It also has Little Wines #10, #11 and #13 in it, so the trace elements of older vintages come in from that. Blended in September. The 2023 component is a lot of old vine material, as a bolstering element, and somewhat lush and soft, whereas the 2024 is firmer and more structured, so that played a part in thinking here.
Inky and yet distinct in its purity, like a thick set, muscular potion or nectar, but with a growl of lithe, gravelly tannins, dash of lifting pepper, dried herbs, undergrowth, rhubarb; distinctly dark fruited, somewhat blue-fruited, but has a slinkiness, a drinkability, a kind of elixir-like charm and ease. Liquorice and some charry spice to finish, with a lick of alpine herb. There’s so much on here, layers and layers, and the richness perplexing when you consider the wild drinkability and early enjoyment. Brilliant. (WineFront)
In the context of Every Release Of Little Wine Ever, this was right up there for excellence and interest, plus the bonus of youthful drinkability.
For the vintage wines, the Hoffman Dallwitz vineyard syrah is of course the mainstay, but Our Hill, a singular syrah from the hand-planted, hand-tended, organic farmed vineyard behind the family home, is more recent to the range.
The 2023 Hoffman Dallwitz comes from a vintage where yields were at a near all-time high. Concentration is up, potency in the wine is there, black olive, palate-staining tannins, earth and gravelly minerality, dark fruits, woody spices. Lush, beautiful, haunting stuff. The Our Hill 2023 wine is more modest but also shows off gravelly-minerality, though the fruit is redder and perkier, the spice and herbs more piquant, an autumnal character in the mix, but freshness finds a stride here. A very beautiful wine.
Gratitude flows as always to have a preview of these wines with Fraser at the end of the bottle, and then at the end of the BBQ tongs and his magnificent cellar.