Wine review: Patritti Wines

This winery was started from nothing in 1926. Two generations later it is a McLaren Vale stalwart.

It’s a fair bet that few serious wine lovers outside South Australia — indeed, outside Adelaide and its environs — would have heard of Patritti Wines. This family-owned and run wine business was founded in 1926 by Giovanni Patritti, who had left Piedmont in Italy to seek a better life abroad and meet his sister, who’d already left for the United States. The ship he boarded was in fact headed for Adelaide, and he arrived with no family, no money and not a word of English — just the clothes on his back. But he came from a winegrowing family, and within 12 months was leasing vineyards in Brighton, 15km south of Adelaide. By the early ’30s, in the Great Depression, he had built a winery, and by the late ’40s owned vineyards surrounding the winery. His wines were shipped in barrels to communities of Italian and Eastern European migrants, to the opal mines of Coober Pedy, the cane fields of Queensland, and to Griffith, Alice Springs, Melbourne and Adelaide, a rapidly growing market.

To meet the housing demand, Patritti’s vineyards were acquired by the SA Government, leaving the winery and 1ha of vines around it. The silver lining was the capital from the acquisition, which the family used to buy land in Blewitt Springs (now planted to highly prized shiraz) and at Tatachilla (now planted to grenache) in 1960.

Giovanni’s sons Geoff and John are directors and daughter Ines Patritti is managing director. His grandson James Mungall became winemaker in ’01, joined in ’06 by friend and Adelaide University oenology classmate Ben Heide. Their eyes are in part turned to the future, part protecting the legacy of the past. They are doing the latter by making the great single vineyard McLaren Vale wines at mouthwateringly low prices. Here you feel the wisdom of the Patritti elders, who have been through the cycles of boom and bust and started with nothing.

2015 Patritti Section 181 Single Vineyard McLaren Vale Grenache

From 6ha of dry grown grenache, hand-picked, matured in French puncheons, bottled Sept ’16. McLaren Vale grenache at its imperious best, the fruit with exceptional texture and structure from its fine but persistent tannins. A 20-year grenache? Absolutely, and then some.

14.5% alc, cork, 96 points, drink to 2035, $35

2015 Patritti Lot Three Single Vineyard McLaren Vale Shiraz

Matured for 18 months in 600-litre French demi-muids (33% new) and puncheons (27% new). Bright crimson-purple; a full-bodied wine with savoury whole bunch black fruits, dark chocolate, profound tannin and oak influences. A seriously great wine.

14% alc, cork, 96 points, drink to 2050, $35

2015 Patritti Merchant McLaren Vale Shiraz

Hand-picked, mainly crushed with some whole bunches, matured for 18 months in American puncheons (56% new). Bright crimson-purple, the vanilla/mocha oak is an integral part of the wine, contrasting with the fresh red and black fruit flavours.
13.5% alc, screwcap, 94 points, drink to 2035, $30