ST HALLETT
This South Australian winery found fame with its Old Block Shiraz, among others. Its new chief winemaker Helen McCarthy tells David Sly about her aim for St Hallett Wines to be recognised as a Barossa Shiraz specialist, by dedicating even more focus to site-specific releases
Along story tracing the history of South Australia’s Barossa region is integral to the success of St Hallett Wines. And formidable people are key to this story – many are legendary characters in the pantheon of Australian wine.
Early St Hallett winemaker Robert O’Callaghan (now of Rockford Winery) saved historic Shiraz vines from being grubbed up during the 1970s and made rich wines celebrating their unique qualities. The late, larger-than-life raconteur and marketeer ‘Big’ Bob McLean sold the merits of these signature Shirazes to the world. Entwined through a legend of long promotional lunches and great merriment, St Hallett fostered a loyal fan club for its wines, led by Old Block Shiraz.
Years have marched on, yet despite several changes in ownership and numerous winemakers, St Hallett has never let go of its history. This stems from the Lindner family’s arrival in the Barossa from Central Europe’s historical Silesia region in 1838. They planted grape vines near Tanunda before starting their own winery in 1944, enduring turbulent years of struggle and triumph.
New winemaker, new chapter
Now, under owners Accolade Wines (whose vast global business includes other recognisable Australian brands including Hardys, Banrock Station and Grant Burge), a new chief winemaker has been introduced, not only to continue, but to amplify this legacy of championing Barossa Shiraz.
Helen McCarthy is entirely comfortable with such a task, because she has her own interesting Barossa winemaking story to tell. This is in addition to opening a fresh chapter of the St Hallett tale that involves a broader suite of Shiraz wines, further embracing the influence of Eden Valley vineyards from the elevated, stony ridges that flank the floor of the Barossa Valley.
Having come previously from Mountadam Vineyards and Thorn-Clarke Wines, McCarthy’s focus had long been fixed on Eden Valley fruit, understanding the coolclimate nuances of these grapes. When she applied for the job of St Hallett senior winemaker and site manager in early 2019, soon after the departure of wineries director and senior winemaker Toby Barlow, her skill set provided the perfect fit for Accolade’s renewed vision for St Hallett’s Shiraz output.
Her immediate task was to focus the winemaking to reflect a new marketing slogan for the brand, heralding St Hallett as the ‘masters of Barossa Shiraz’ – which meant that, as of the 2020 vintage, the producer no longer makes Riesling. An element of Grenache remains through the portfolio – with old-vine Grenache and Grenache rosé, as well as featuring as a component in some blends – but the spotlight has been directed towards a dozen different examples of Shiraz.
Each of these wines has a distinctive sourcing pattern from specific vineyards throughout the Barossa to define a raft of different Shiraz characteristics, which continues to grow as an increasing number of Eden Valley fruit parcels are procured.
Site-specific Barossa Shiraz
‘It’s not all my doing,’ McCarthy insists with a smile. ‘It was already happening before I got here. But I’m certainly giving it a nudge along, looking more specifically at southern Eden Valley fruit parcels that show more coolclimate characteristics.
‘For us to truly present a complete picture of understanding Barossa Shiraz,’ she says, ‘we need to be doing this – and more – to play around with fresh ideas.
‘I believe there’s a big, complex story to tell about this grape variety, and we’ve only really just scratched the surface in the Barossa.’
McCarthy explains her point by enthusiastically sketching ideas that will push St Hallett’s Shiraz output further – by developing parish blends that define small, historical Barossa sub-regions and doing clonal explorations that demonstrate how specific Shiraz clones behave across different sites and soil types. She’s optimistic that wine
lovers will support the winery steering the focus on single-vineyard wines in a more nuanced direction.
‘There haven’t been wines of this type from the Barossa, and it’s something we will definitely be looking at in the future,’ she says, noting that such ideas build on a significant suite of Barossa sub-regional wines that previous winemaker Toby Barlow introduced to the market.
‘St Hallett’s long reliance on relationships with many growers and vineyards throughout the Barossa will allow this to happen,’ she adds. ‘And I believe this presents very exciting winemaking opportunities.’
‘I believe there’s a big, complex story to tell about Shiraz, and we’ve only really just scratched the surface in the Barossa’
Helen McCarthy
A first: Eden Valley Syrah
Pursuing such ambitions adds to McCarthy’s responsibilities, which include supervising Grant Burge wines being made and stored at the St Hallett winery near Tanunda.
Yet within such a busy schedule, she has given particular attention to several new wines that specifically highlight Eden Valley fruit – and stand a significant step apart from the more brawny, big-bodied Shiraz sourced mostly from the northern Barossa that has been St Hallett’s trademark.
Foremost among these more nuanced Shirazes is the Higher Earth Syrah 2018 (note that the wine is not called Shiraz). A new release in 2020, this is made from 100% Eden Valley grapes – a first for St Hallett.
Made before McCarthy arrived at the winery, Higher Earth is a style that excites her – showing rich blue fruits, a lick of minerality and a lifted floral bouquet – although she’s now keen to refine the style further, to enhance the elegance and svelte beauty of cool-climate Shiraz.
‘I want this to be a wine that people keep talking about, because it doesn’t fit the standard expectation of a St Hallett Shiraz,’ she says. ‘It has already attracted a different type of customer to St Hallett, and I feel that it opens up a lot of possibilities for who we can reach as a brand.’
Boutique old-vine flagship
A more exclusive new Shiraz aims at an even higher level: Planted 1919 is from Barossa vines that are no less than 100 years old. The first release, from the 2015 vintage, comes from an Eden Valley vineyard; the vineyard’s grapes are usually directed into the Old Block Shiraz blend of northern Barossa and Eden Valley fruit parcels.
By isolating this parcel as a separate wine – with the tiny volume producing just 360
‘Everything we are doing fits St Hallett’s ambition to be a serious Shiraz specialist’ Helen McCarthy (above)
bottles for Australia and 1,200 globally, at a hefty A$450 (£250) price tag – it presents a new opportunity for St Hallett.
‘It’s brave to introduce a new flagship wine that pursues a different direction, but it’s an exciting signal for the future,’ says McCarthy. ‘It’s stunning – a really interesting example of texture speaking ahead of the fruit, with all the elements seamlessly integrated.’
The wine’s subtlety and evolution in the glass thrills McCarthy, who says future releases of Planted 1919 will most likely feature different source blocks, demanding different examinations and analysis of elite Barossa Shiraz.
‘I feel very fortunate to be presenting such outstanding wines that had been made before I arrived in the winery, but I must say that these [new] wines sing to what I like to do.’
Despite her excitement about these new releases, McCarthy does not want to change the style of existing St Hallett wines – particularly the influence of old-vine parcels from across the northern Barossa and Eden Valley that distinguishes the producer’s Old Block Shiraz, and the black-fruited power amplified by American oak that characterises Blackwell Shiraz.
‘There will be an evolution of the portfolio, but within this will remain a respect for the winemaking signatures that have defined St Hallett’s history. We will always allow those very specific wine styles to continue.’
100% Barossa
To help ensure continuity, McCarthy consults with former chief winemaker Stuart Blackwell, creator of several St Hallett Shiraz styles – including Blackwell Shiraz and Faith Shiraz – who continues to serve as a brand ambassador.
‘I’ve really benefited from Stuart telling me about the history of the wines, and the knowledge and stories about the winery’s relationships with the grape growers we work with,’ says McCarthy.
‘It’s all connected into the fabric of how we make these wines. And those common threads remain in place.
‘Stuart tastes the blends with me and tells me what he thinks. It’s nice to have that continuity, because it can be so easy to get too wrapped up in only what you’re thinking.’
The new vision for St Hallett is a considered philosophy. McCarthy says the Covid-related travel restrictions that came up during 2020 presented ample time for everyone
involved with the brand to have a serious rethink about the wines, their customers and how to improve production.
This has led to some new introductions – including large-format oak fermenters, allowing for whole-bunch fermentation of some Shiraz components – and a more polished presentation at the winery’s cellar door, with emphasis on tutored tastings rather than the rustic, informal approach that had long been a part of St Hallett’s personality.
‘Everything we are doing fits St Hallett’s ambition to be a serious Shiraz specialist,’ says McCarthy, who believes that the recent developments are injecting fresh energy into the brand.
‘It shows that we can breathe new life into a historical brand without damaging any important aspects of its past. Keeping everything 100% Barossa is really important to me, and we’re ready to present an exciting new chapter in the St Hallett story.’ D