Diary of a vintage
To celebrate the annual release of the Seppelt Luxury Collection, we speak to winemaker Adam Carnaby about what goes into the making of this exceptional range.
ADAM CARNABY does a lot of driving from late November to mid-December, before harvest season. As winemaker at one of Australia’s most historic and diverse wine houses, Carnaby’s territory spans the prime terroirs of Victoria, from the cool maritime climate of Henty, home to the celebrated Drumborg Vineyard of the state’s south-west, to the warmer earth of Heathcote in central Victoria and the dry Grampians in between. Seppelt’s winery and cellar door in Great Western – where a three-kilometre warren of cellars called The Drives, the largest undreground cellars in the country, lays hidden – is just east of the Grampians. “If you drew a straight line from the Drumborg Vineyard to Heathcote, it’s about 400 kilometres,” he says. The vines are at the inflorescence (flowering) stage in these early summer months so Carnaby is on the ground with the growers in each region, clocking the health of the vines and their potential to produce new fruit and new character for a fresh vintage.
By mid-January the grapes have begun to ripen. “At this stage, I can plan out the rest of the vintage to a certain degree,” says Carnaby. Each vineyard will be picked at a different time. “With really hot summers and cool winters, we get shiraz from Heathcote but also from the Grampians – there might just be a difference of two to three weeks in the ripening phase.” This is a matter of precision. “The juice is analysed for sugar levels and acidity, which is used as a guide for picking, but the ultimate decision is made on taste.” Carnaby earmarks which fruit to hand-pick, keeping “some of the best grapes from the Grampians and Heathcote and small parcels of fruit from Drumborg” for the standout wines of each collection. “It’s like being a chef going to a market full of his favourite produce. It’s the exciting part.”
Selecting which juice to barrel then fine-tuning fermentation and bottling takes some parts time-honoured technique, some modern innovation and no small shot of vision. This year’s vintage is Carnaby’s eighth with Seppelt (and his 22nd all up) and his eye’s on both a 168-year legacy and the innovative spirit that helped pioneer Australian sparkling shiraz, yet keeps surprising tasters vintage after vintage.
Carnaby is excited about the 2019 Seppelt Luxury Collection. “Each wine is distinctive and utterly Seppelt in style,” he says. “They really tell the story of regional nuances and the seasons we’ve had in recent years – 2018 was magic across all our vineyards and 2017 in the Grampians gave us expressions that are complete and well-balanced.” Their time is now – cheers.