The Seppelt Great Western mothership drips with Australian wine history. A walk through the cemetery next to the winery gives clues to its significance as you pass the graves of Joseph Best, Colin Preece, Hans Irvine and Emanuel Salinger. It’s an important place.

Last year, Seppelt’s parent company – Treasury Wine Estates – announced that Seppelt’s Great Western cellar door would close down by the end of June 2016. Much gnashing of teeth, wringing of hands and general disgust ensued within the industry followed but the historic estate was given a reprieve when a local consortium announced they would continue operating the facility.

The Great Western fruit is now popped on trucks and whizzed to the Barossa for processing. Current winemaker Adam Carnaby is doing great things, and the 2014 release is a beautiful wine.

It is bright and high–toned with ripe, pepper– flecked dark and blackfruits; hints of resonant, deep spice, roasting meats, purple flowers and wafts of wood–smoke and gentle, seasoned oak.

On the palate, the wine displays perfectly poised fruit weight and a gorgeous line. The fruit is ripe and bright; its flow across the tongue just right, all the supporting attributes balanced finely and abundant fine-grained tannins bode well for its future.

Here’s to the next 50 years.

Seppelt 2014 St Peters Grampians Shiraz

seppelt.com.au