Schwarz Wine Company
Jason Schwarz is another in the growing group of quality small Barossa Valley wine makers with access to fantastic grapes as he has a family who have been long-term grape growers, indeed they still are. As such, he is able to take small parcels of their best grapes and make his own wine. Like Kalleske, Damien from Glaymond, and others, he can choose top quality Barossa grapes, indeed, the best they produce from older vines, and make them in the style he wants. It wasn’t easy being the son and grandson of state pruning champions, and when he finished school thought he’d pursue any interest other than winemaking and grape growing- but it didn’t last long…
Schwarz Wine Company was started in 2001, and that year he produced just one tonne of Shiraz purchased from his father’s vineyard. The Portfolio has expanded to include Grenache and Jason is pleased that both wines show the dry grown, low yielding, hand tended vineyard character. His goal in winemaking is to enhance these characteristics, so he uses traditional open fermenters and a basket press. The wines are not filtered and are matured in French oak barrels for subtlety.
Schwarz Wine Company The Dustkicker “Hunt & Gather” 2007 – The Dust Kicker is a blended wine of premium Barossa varieties. It is a vinous tribute to my work boots, as we spend many hot summer days walking the rows of Barossa Vineyards to select the perfect parcels of fruit to make this wine. The 2007 Hunt & Gather is a blend of 14 vineyards from the within the Barossa, each parcel adding its own complexity to the finished wine – Grenache from Greenock adding cherry, Shiraz from Stonewell giving palate weight, and Mataro from the banks of the North Para River adding spice. All parcels undertake malolactic fermentation in seasoned oak, and spend 18 months maturation time in barrel. The wine is un-filtered or fined to show the true character of the fruit that makes this wine.
90 points Jay Miller, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – “The 2007 Dust Kicker is deep crimson-colored with an alluring bouquet of Asian spices, clove, cherry, and red licorice. Glossy on the palate with plenty of plum and cherry flavors, this nicely-balanced effort has excellent depth, grip, and length. Drink it over the next 6-8 years.”
Schwarz Wine Company Thiele Road Grenache 2006 – I used to catch the school bus from the end of Thiele Road. Our family Grenache block is planted along this dusty old track and has been there since my father’s uncle dropped in the cuttings in 1946. Fruit is hand-picked and 50% destemmed, 50% crushed to give some carbonic maceration characters. Malo-lactic fermentation is then undertaken in old French oak barrels and the wine is purposely unfiltered and racked twice before bottling 20 months later. Deep ruby red with violet hues in the glass. This wine shows red currants, musk stick, spice, floral and frankincense with graphite wood nuances. The palate shows rich red fruits, with red currants, satsuma plums and spicy musk stick. Pure depth of flavour, with length and persistence. Finishing with fine grain tannins and soft acidity.
93 points Jay Miller, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – “Dark ruby-colored, it has an enticing nose of lavender, earth notes, black cherry, and black raspberry. Layered, concentrated, and with serious old-vine character, it may well evolve for several years but can be enjoyed now.”
Schwarz Wine Company Nitschke Block Shiraz 2008 – Deep, impenetrable red/purple colour. An opulent nose with rich, concentrated black fruits supported by deep clove and nutmeg spice, cocoa powder and earth with just a faint waft of eucalypt. Mouth-filling and medium bodied, yet light on its feet with densely packed black fruits, an abundance of spice & earth with hints of licorice, dark chocolate, kirsch and a lovely floral flick on the back palate. The fruit has meshed beautifully and the end result is a harmonious, balanced wine with a lively streak of acidity that sings of its Barossa origins.
91+ points Lisa Perotti-Brown, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – “Deep garn-purple colored, it has pure and intense aromas of warm blackberries and black cherries with some underlying notes of eucalypt, licorice, cinnamon and mace. Very full and densely packed with berry and spice flavors on the palate, it is well structured with crisp acid, a medium to firm level of grainy tannins and a long, well balanced finish.”
