Seppeltsfield Celebrates 170Th Anniversary With Great Terraced Vineyard Grenache Luxury Release

Seppeltsfield is one of Australia’s most historic wineries, established in the Barossa in 1851 and this year celebrating their 170th Anniversary.

Seppeltsfield has long been internationally renowned for its treasure trove of fortified wines, highlighted by the Centennial Collection – the world’s only unbroken lineage of single vintage Tawny dating back to 1878. Now, the star is shining on the 170-year-old estate’s new chapter, an expanding range of still wines, only possible since recently gaining full ownership of its trademark in 2017. In February 2018, Seppeltsfield launched its contemporary new brand identity. The inspiration behind this new label was taken from within the estate, with the earliest insignia reinstated – the crown and star trademark from 1877, together with cues such as the proprietary blue and label shape found on 19th century craft liquor bottles. 

Today, Seppeltsfield celebrate the unveiling of their annual luxury collection of wines, with a significant moment, the launch of a special 170th Anniversary release from the Barossa estate’s icon vineyard – 2020 Great Terraced Vineyard Barossa Grenache. The Great Terraced Vineyard consists of bush vine Grenache and was originally planted in 1855 and re-planted in contoured rows to follow the natural shape of the land, commencing in 1958. Original cuttings were vigorously selected to ensure the highest possible quality. The wine was fermented in the historic 1888 Gravity Cellar, gently extracting colour and tannin, resulting in a pure and fine translation of the Great Terraced Vineyard. 

In addition, Seppeltsfield have also released the follow up vintages to the ‘Grounds’ range – single vineyard Barossa Shiraz expressions. As Seppeltsfield’s interpretation of Barossa terroir, the ‘Grounds’ releases look to apply a beguiling simplicity for what in European terms is often a complicated and complex idea of the relationship between geography, geology, climate and history. The range takes inspiration from the Barossa Grounds project – a comprehensive study of the district’s sub-regionality. Led by the Barossa Grape & Wine Association, the project brings together winemakers, grape growers and soil and climatic science experts, to evaluate and identify the variations in Shiraz wine expression across the various parishes of the region. There is a consistent approach to winemaking for the ‘Grounds’ range – fermented through the historic 1888 Gravity Cellar and matured in new and seasoned French oak hogsheads for 14 months. 

Seppeltsfield’s 2019 vintage bottlings include the first release of  ‘The Northing’ Barossa Shiraz, sourced from a single vineyard from the Marananga parish of the Northern Grounds, ‘The Easting’ Barossa Shiraz, sourced from the Garden of Eden Vineyard in Eden Valley, as well as the ‘The Westing’ Barossa Shiraz, from V Block in the Western Barossa Grounds. Expect to see wines released from all four points of the compass in future vintages. 

Further, Seppeltsfield’s ‘Bench Blends’ new vintages are also available. The ‘Bench Blends’ range is centred on the winemaking art of ‘assemblage’, with the craft combining the sensory ability with the artistic and individual expression of the winemakers – the ambition to achieve a final blend that is greater than the sums of its varietal parts. Red varietal blends carry an ‘EC’ (East Cellar) number which were first released by Seppeltsfield’s founding family in the 1960s and formed the inspiration for the range.

There are two ‘Bench Blends’ wines in the range, including the 2020 ‘No. EC403’ Barossa Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro, a traditional and well-loved blend, and in this instance – Grenache was sourced from the estate’s iconic Great Terraced Vineyard and is the dominant varietal. Alongside ‘No. EC403’ is a more contemporary expression of traditional Portuguese varieties – 2020 ‘No. EC3’ Barossa Tinta Cao, Tinta Amarela, Touriga. 

Fiona Donald, Chief Winemaker, said “At Seppeltsfield, our collection of wines reflect 170 years of history in the Barossa, but also our future endeavours. Our ambition is to match our reputation for fortified wines with that of our luxury still wine collection. Our special 170th Anniversary release, the 2020 Great Terraced Vineyard Barossa Grenache, creates a moment that will be remembered for years to come. Sourced from our iconic Great Terraced Vineyard on the Estate, which has historically been used for the production of fortified wines, this contemporary still wine is a pure and fine translation of the vineyard. It’s a truly exciting new chapter in the Estates’ journey”. 

The Seppeltsfield Winemaking team has also expanded – Henry Slattery joins with over six years winemaking experience in the Barossa, and having completed both an Undergraduate degree in Agricultural science at the University of Melbourne and Masters in Oenology at the University of Adelaide. The Winemaking team now consists of Warren Randall (Executive Chairman and Proprietor), Fiona Donald (Chief Winemaker), Charlie Seppelt (Senior Winemaker), Matthew Pick (Senior Winemaker), Henry Slattery (Winemaker) and Kingsley Fuller (Group Viticulturist). 

The Seppeltsfield luxury collection of wines is available at the Seppeltsfield Cellar Door in the Barossa or via our Seppeltsfield Online Shop  and can be found only in fine wine retailers and on premise nationally.