Frederick Stevenson Piñata Red Wine Barossa Valley 2020

The Barossa isn’t exactly known for bright, airy, ‘crunchy’ reds, but Steve Crawford is looking to rewrite that narrative. This vintage primarily hails from two certified biodyanmic vineyards:  ‘Ahrens Vineyard’ in sandy Vine Vale, a bit of old vine Grenache from ‘Stockwell Vineyard’ in Light Pass and the ‘Hoffman Vineyard’ in Ebenezer and a touch of Mourvèdre from latter. 

The wine is meant for immediate pleasure – kind of a business card or brochure in what can be expected for the other Barossa Releases of the year. It started as a lighter nod to Cote du Rhône blends and has continued in providing a bit more interest than the average quaffing rhone blend. 

The fruit was all hand-picked and primarily destemmed (about a quarter of the Grenache was fermented whole-cluster). The wine fermented separately in open-top fermenters without any additions and once dry was gently pressed, with only the free run juice, being sent to a mixture of 228L and 500L French barrels. The wine aged for only 10-12 weeks, depending on the barrel where the blends are then determined. It is then racked to tank and bottled without fining or filtration and just a small addition of sulfur.