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NOTES
Jane and Andrew Mitchell established the winery in 1975 on the Mitchell family property in the western hills of the Clare Valley in South Australia. An old sandstone apple store was converted to serve as a rustic cellar door sales area. Continued growth has resulted in further development of the winery buildings and winemaking plant.
The grapes for Mitchell wines come from the company’s four local vineyards. Varieties planted are Riesling, Semillon, Shiraz, Merlot, Grenache and Cabernet. Vine age ranges from as little as five to over fifty five years. Soils are red-brown loam and clay over limestone. The altitude of these vineyards is between 300 and 400 metres and the average rainfall in the vicinity of 600mm, falling mostly in the winter (May–September).
The largest vineyard is located at Watervale, several kilometres south of the winery. This vineyard was acquired in 1995 and is planted with 50 year old dry grown Grenache and Riesling grapes. Set on the exposed eastern slopes of undulating hills, with long rows of vines, this can be a very bleak place in the middle of winter at pruning time. This has led to it becoming known among the vineyard workers as Alcatraz - a place to do penance in the cold, wind and rain of a Clare winter. Alcatraz is particularly suited to the Riesling variety. The other major vineyard is at the winery site at Sevenhill. Planted entirely to red grapes: Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this is the source vineyard for the Mitchell Cabernet.
TASTING NOTES
The Mitchells believe that given the conditions of rocky barren soils, old, dry grown vines and a long ripening period, which their selected vineyards in Clare offer, the fruit develops the flavours and structure for a complex varietal wine. The fully ripened Grenache fruit is fermented on skins from 10–14 days and gently basket pressed to extract full flavour and tannin structure. The glorious essence of Grenache is enhanced with a touch of Mourvedré and Sangiovese. The resulting wine is not aged in wood, in order to preserve the complex array of fresh lively flavours of the variety - the black cherry and soft fruit tannins. A wine of great style with both power and finesse.
OTHER REVIEWS
Good colour; in typical Clare style, with strong spicy notes to the cherry fruits and lingering tannins; creeps up on you. Screwcap. 89 Points, James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2009
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