Soon after meeting up with Mike from Gemtree, he had made some calls and I was zooming up the hill to see the first person on my list… Justin McNamee of Samuel’s Gorge up on top of the Seaview Ridge overlooking…well pretty much overlooking the whole region!

The place immediately felt a bit different, a beautiful old barn on top of a hill with stunning views. Sharing many of the same attributes as his barn, Justin was welcoming, full of character and slightly ragged around the edges. We sat and chatted about the history of the project, his bubbling enthusiasm totally addictive. Before starting out here, he spent years fine tuning his art making world class wines here in McLaren Vale, at Tatachilla Wines, one of the oldest producers in the region. Then in 2003 he spotted this decrepit old barn and set about bringing it back to life, and getting hold of authentic old apparatus like his two slate sided open-top fermenters – virtually museum pieces, but great at naturally regulating temperature.

We went for a walk into the vines along the ridge, most of the fruit Justin uses is bought in, from growers he knows and trusts after years in the region, he knows where to go to get good grapes. But it’s also about assembling the wine, looking out from our vantage point, we can see the different subregions of McLaren Vale, with quite different soil types and varying influences of the sun and coastal winds. Within the McLaren Vale region, there are so many completely different geological types, Shiraz brought in from these different subregions will bring different characteristics to the blend.

Samuel’s Gorge has only three different wines: Shiraz, Grenache and Tempranillo, all varietal, but with grapes brought in from all over the region to give their different characteristics. Justin makes his wines not necessarily as block-busting medal-winners, which will often need to have some sort of extreme characteristic that will make it stick out in a from the hundreds of wines judges might be tasting. These kind of wines can often be a bit too massive to sit well on a wine list in a restaurant though, as they will simply overpower any food. So Justin makes his wines with the sommelier in mind, and as a result has found favour with many restranteurs.

At the cellar door there are also a couple of ‘Golding’ whites which he makes for the Golding family who own the vines in Lenswood (Adelaide hills). As the Tempranillo was sold out when I visited, that left only four wines, and as they were all so good, here’s what I thought of them all…

Golding ‘The Local’ Lenswood Sauvignon Blanc 2007

A complex new world style of Sauvignon, fresh and zesty, with gentle aromatic blossom on the nose and herbaceous palate with a bit of cheese rind savoury character, tasty.

Golding ‘Billy goat hill’ Lenswood Chardonnay 2005

Lovely toasty oak that sits delicately on the citrus and pineapple acidity. A really complex, layered wine with a long clean finish and another dusting of toast at the finish.

Samuel’s Gorge Grenache 2005

Justin is another advocate of Grenache as a quality grape in the McLaren Vale, as it has been grown here for over 120 years. As Justin puts it, “Grenache is like warm climate Pinot Noir – and even more difficult to get in harmony”

This one, quoting directly from my scruffy tasting notes is, Balanced style – not over alchoholic or thin (as Grenache often is) Earthy plum – rich but not jammy.

That in my eyes makes this one of the most successful Grenaches I’ve had, but the French have been using it as a serious grape for centuries… Chateauneuf-du-Pape is usually Grenache dominated, and the ‘Bernadine’ by Chapoutier is 100% Grenache (and lovely – especially the 2001…)

And best for last…

Samuel’s Gorge Shiraz 2005

On the nose a deep dark fruit core under a softer feeling mellowness, as well as all that, there is something a little harder – a smoky earthiness giving weight. The palate has deep fruit, which is not stodgy or cloying thanks to the earthy texture and slightly savoury character that will keep the someliers happy! With so much going on, it must be the assemblage of all those different parcels that makes this such a complex wine – top notch! and pretty affordable at $35

As Samuel’s Gorge is such a new label, the production is pretty small, but if you can find any, you’ll do well to stock up and as well as drinking fantastic wines you will be supporting a ‘real’ and passionate winery.