The making of Sevenhill Cellars wine
Of all the wineries in South Australia, none has a more fascinating history than Sevenhill Cellars.
I am forever driven by Mick Knappstein’s aphorism that there are only two sorts of people: those who were born in Clare, and those who wish they were born there. In 1985 I self-published a hardback book on the South Australian region’s history, vignerons and wines, and spent many days on the ground talking to and recording the views of all the winemakers, and tasting their wines.
Regular readers of this column will know that history rings my bell. And of all the wineries in South Australia, none has a more fascinating history than Sevenhill Cellars. It was established by the Jesuits in 1851, who planted the first vines and excavated a cellar covered by a lean-to. The magnificent underground arched stone cellars were built in the early 1860s, as were the Mintaro slate fermenters (recommissioned in 2019).
I became friends with Brother John May, who was appointed winemaker in 1972 and served in that capacity until 2003. He was a lifetime member of the Winemakers’ Federation and a Member of the Order of Australia. I met him many times, the last not long before his death in August 2021, aged 92. His cheeks were still rosy, his eyes still twinkled and his speech made it abundantly clear that his mental faculties were still in perfect order.
May would be delighted by the transformation of Sevenhill in the past three years. A team headed by general manager Jonathan O’Neill, with winemaker Will Shields, vineyard manager Craig Richards and sales manager Tony Worthington, has contributed to rapid improvements from grape to glass. The label design is seriously good in the context of history, the 90ha of vineyards reworked, harvested by state-of-the-art Pellenc Selectiv’, and Shields brings experience from Margaret River and New Zealand. It is he who has transformed the quality of the wines, each in the current release with a finely nuanced touch.
2019 Sevenhill Cellars St Ignatius
An ecumenical blend of cabernet sauvignon (52%) and merlot/malbec/cabernet franc from estate vines. Selectiv’-harvested, matured in French hogsheads (40% new) for 19 months. Opens up with plenty on show, but it’s the full-bodied palate that sweeps all before it, the oak feisty, the black fruits complex and commanding. 14% alc, screwcap 95 points, drink to 2035, $50
2019 Sevenhill Cellars Quarry Road Clare Valley Cabernet Malbec
Cabernet sauvignon (77%), malbec (18%), cabernet franc (5%); 15 days on skins thence to used French hogsheads for 7 months. An attractive medium to full-bodied palate reaffirming the Clare Valley’s synergy with this graceful Bordeaux blend. 13.5% alc, screwcap 95 points, drink to 2039, $45
2021 Sevenhill Cellars Inigo Clare Valley Barbera
Vivid crimson-purple. Crushed, 6 days on skins, matured in French oak (20% new) for 3 months. Ultra-fragrant red berries sweep through the light to medium-bodied palate, giving this the character (texture and structure) of grenache or pinot noir. 12.5% alc, screwcap 94 points, drink to 2028, $28
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