Wine Tasting at the Magnificent Victory Hotel

At the risk of being accused of being a little smug, and perhaps having one too many toots on our own trumpet, it’s hard to resist showing off a little when you get such good feedback from a variety of wine commentators from around the world. Joch recently showed off a selection of our Springs Road Wines and some from Battle of Bosworth and Spring Seed Wine Co to internationally acclaimed wine critic and journalist James Suckling in the cellars of the magnificent Victory Hotel at Sellicks.

There’s no doubt Joch could have done with a hair cut before heading up the hill to show off his wines, but luckily the wines out-competed the hair and talked over that barnet! Hair Cut, Sir!

2018 Springs Road Cabernet Sauvignon 

A lovely nose of blackcurrants, black licorice, cocoa, fresh mint and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied with chewy tannins. Deep red and black fruit sinks in with lovely restraint. Nicely attuned to itself with steady intensity and freshness of fruit.  93 points

SPRINGS ROAD ‘Terre Napoleon’ SHIRAZ 2021

James also loved the new vintage of the Springs Road ‘Terre Napoleon’. This wine is an old school barrel selection. Joch picks his favourite Shiraz barrels (maximum 2 barrels) from the vintage and lets them spend a little more time luxuriating in super French oak before bottling. Here is what Suckling said:

‘Fragrant aromas of earthy spice, grilled herbs and baked plums. Full-bodied with chewy tannins. Very good intensity and depth without being overly rich or overdone. A strong core of black fruit sits at the centre, adorned by the spice character from the nose with notes of clove, coriander and paprika coming through. Delicious.  94 points

little island red 2021 Shiraz by SPRINGS ROAD Kangaroo Island

We were especially thrilled by his review of our newest shiraz, the little island red. Made in a fresh youthful style, this wine shows beautiful ripe primary red fruit characters. Suckling says:

‘The first release of this well-priced wine from Springs Road, it has aromas of wild berries and bracken, as well as baking spices. Neat and lively, medium-bodied red. Predominantly shiraz, the palate serves up darker fruit in a fresh, juicy mode.’ 90 Points

The little island red also got a super write up from Erin Larkin who writes for The Wine Advocate. She loved it: it’s worth repeating what she said word for word, as it explains a bit about Kangaroo Island, too.

It is tempting to explain to you that Kangaroo Island is “cute” – due to all the kangaroos and coastal vistas. But that would imply that it is small, so likely that term (although apt for much of the sights there) is perhaps not appropriate. Off the coast of South Australia, the vineyard areas largely cluster in the northwest corner (loosely closest to the mainland) and the wine landscape is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

So to the 2021 little island red, this juicy little banger has a frothy fruit profile, layered with purple berries, raspberries, some licorice and red snakes, and a web of tannin that props is all up in the mouth. The oak is almost imperceptible, save for some spice and general texture. Delicious wine. Drink it young – it’s got a border-nouveau thing happening. Good. 91 points

Some fantastic reviews of our KI wines; well done Joch and Scott for all of your hard work in the vineyard and winery. All work and no play makes Jack an dull boy, and Joch too, so we let him off one afternoon when he was at Springs Road , to do his favourite thing at the gorgeous Emu Bay which is about 15 minutes away from the vineyards.  There’s absolutely no doubt that this is his happy place!.

Cheers!