Adelaide: a city rich in wine history

Founded in the mid-19th century, Penfolds Magill Estate is the most splendid destination in Australia for wine, food and history.

Classy: the reviewed wines

Due east of the Adelaide GPO, approached by Magill Road, lies Penfolds Magill Estate. Dr Christopher Penfold settled on 200ha in 1844, building a small house (still standing today) and progressively planting 80ha of vineyard. In 1949 the vineyard reached its peak of 120ha, but urban sprawl had reduced it to 5.2ha by 1983. Today, Magill is the most splendid destination in Australia for wine, food and history.

The south-west corner of Greater Adelaide was a fertile flood plain covered by farms, with orchards, vineyards and scattered houses. When Giovanni (John) Patritti built a small winery in 1926 it didn’t cause a ripple. But the late 1940s ushered in a housing boom that carried on until 1959, when Giovanni’s 10ha was the only patch large enough to build a much-needed school. It was resumed, but not the winery. (The family used the money to buy and develop two vineyards in McLaren Vale that are central to the Patritti Estate of today.) The school was demolished in the 1990s, and a proposed housing development led to the family taking ultimately successful legal action to guarantee its continued use of what was by then a substantial winery.

The push and pull of resumptions and development resulted in three patches of remnant vines. The most significant is Marion Vineyard of grenache (0.91ha) and shiraz (0.44ha) planted in 1907. The smaller patches are Oaklands muscat of Alexandria (0.44ha) planted in the 1920s, and the Warriparinga pedro ximenez/palamino (0.23ha) planted in the 1950s. All three are within 3km of the winery, owned by the council with a long-term lease to Patritti. Five very different wines make up the Patritti Urban Vineyard Collection, due for release in September. The north-east of Tea Tree Gully and Modbury are the last pieces of the jigsaw still to come.

2018 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz

The only single-vineyard wine in the entire Penfolds lineup. This vintage has a far greater weight and personality than the often shy, understated releases. Red and black cherry fruit, spice and rounded – indeed polished – tannins give the wine a regal air. 14.5% alc, cork 96 points, drink to 2038, $150

2018 Two Hands Waterfall Block Single Vineyard Waterfall Gully Road Burnside Adelaide Shiraz

Destemmed into a single 5t open fermenter, 10 days on skins, pressed to French puncheons (20% new). A no-holds-barred, full-bodied wine that promises much through its balance and tapestry of ripe fruit flavours. 13.9% alc, Diam 95 points, drink to 2043, $110

2020 Patritti Wines Marion Vineyard Grenache Shiraz

77% grenache, 23% shiraz; hand-picked, crushed, co-fermented then matured for 10 months in used French oak. Deeply coloured; rich aromas of spicy fruitcake and plum open the door to a beautifully cadenced spray of fresh red and purple fruits, underpinned by super-fine tannins. Great value. 13.5% alc, screwcap 96 points, drink to 2033, $40