The Grounds Collection
The Grounds Collection is inspired by a study conducted by Barossa Australia, bringing together winemakers, grape growers and climatic science experts, to evaluate and identify the variations of Barossa Shiraz across all four points of the compass. Further to this, our interpretation demonstrates unique terroir down to site, showcasing Single Vineyard expressions of Shiraz.
Icon Vineyard
The Great Terraced Vineyard, planted on the estate hillside, consists of bush vine Grenache growing in clay loam with outcrops of ironstone, quartz, and bluestone. Originally planted in 1855, the vineyard was replanted in contoured rows in 1958 to follow the natural shape of the land, using meticulously selected original cuttings to ensure the highest quality.
The 2023 season presented a unique opportunity – in terms of Riesling across Barossa in particular Eden Valley along with the Clare Valley. Given the 2023 vintage was 4 weeks later than the ‘new normal’ of the past 20 years, similar to, but even later than 2002. La Nina conditions meant the Barossa’s rainfall was one of the wettest on record, resulting in a growing season that saw average soil moisture and strong budburst. The rain meant we saw run-off into most Eden Valley dams, for the first time in many years.
During the harvest period, the winemaking team identified several stellar, Single Vineyard blocks of Riesling, that we could not walk past. Given the diversity of the grape variety and opportunity to showcase a range of Riesling that is a true representative of both region and style.
Hence the decision was to produce Riesling from Australia’s top producing regions, including from our own Watervale and Eden Valley vineyards. The wines are of style and elegance, with hallmark intense aromatics, finesse and great natural acidity. 2023 was an exceptional vintage for Riesling, the best we have seen in the last 20 years.
Warren Randall, Executive Chairman & Proprietor of Seppeltsfield, made the journey to Argentina in 2019 to visit the Top 10 Vineyards in the world. On this visit, there was an opportunity to connect with another powerhouse brand, Huarpe Wines in the Uco Valley, Argentina, and to produce two unique wines from Gualtallary, located in the Andes Mountains, 1500 metres above sea level. The climate is dry and the hand-picked and hand pruned vines are water fed from the Andes with minimal irrigation.
The wines are both from the 2018 vintage, with Warren selecting the barrels of wine to use for a new collaboration. The wine simply exceeded Warren’s high standards and expectations borne from years of luxury winemaking experience at Seppeltsfield. The wines form the new ‘Special Bottlings’ tier in the Seppeltsfield range.
