Partners in wine: the duo delivering their best vintage to date
She suspected he might be interested in something more than just the temperature of her ferments. Now, they embark on their latest venture.
The clue was in the coffee. Skye Salter was in the early stages of a career she was born to pursue, working the nightshift at Hardy’s historic Tintara winery for the 2008 vintage. She began to notice one of her co-workers was different from the rest. When the crew downed tools for midnight smoko, the bloke they called Moose would bypass the tins of instant to head for the proper coffee machine. When he started returning with two cups, she suspected he might be interested in more than just the temperature of her ferments. A relationship grew and Charlie Seppelt eventually became her husband. They built winemaking careers, deciding in 2018 to do something of their own.
Their label, Paralian, drew attention from the start. There’s serious winemaking nous at work here. The early vintages were made while both still worked full-time for others, showing both an impressive capacity for hard work and a dual dose of the unhinged obsessiveness that exists within the very best winemakers.
While Charlie Seppelt (a fifth-generation winemaker from Seppeltsfield’s founding family) remains a vital cog in the operations of wine entrepreneur Warren Randall, Salter now focuses solely on Paralian. The wines have taken that leap of faith with her. The latest releases are the best yet – considered wines that could have only come from a close eye kept on a season that progressed glacially.
In addition to the wines reviewed here, the latest release includes a sprightly fiano, a first for Paralian. “Mum loves fiano, so we had to make one for her,” says Seppelt. There is also a mataro, a shiraz and a cabernet sauvignon, all sourced from the Spring Hill vineyard that has been a key fruit source since 2018. On July 1, their purchase of Spring Hill became official, giving Salter even greater control of fruit sourcing and Seppelt one more thing to worry about.
PARALIAN CHARDONNAY 2023
$55
From an Adelaide Hills vineyard between Gumeracha and Charelston. Partial malo-lactic fermentation and a weekly battonage that the anally retentive Seppelt sets as an alarm on his phone. All puncheons, 20% new. Nougat and white peach, preserved lime, shortbread, jasmine. Really precise acid line. Coiled and tight but still embracing flavour.
13% alc; 93 points
PARALIAN GRENACHE 2023
$48
Sourced from the Marmont vineyard in Blewitt Springs. Fragrant and effusive up front, tightly tuned through the back end. Blood orange and dark raspberry, nutmeg and coriander seed, a subtle dried rose petal edge. Tight, granular tannin does all the fine etching and shapes a finish of detail and depth.
14% alc; 96 points
PARALIAN SHIRAZ MATARO 2023
$48
There’s a lot going on here, and all of it’s good. Pepper (white and black), coriander seed, star anise. Ripe blueberry, some blackberries too, dark chocolate, the blood in a punched mouth. Burnt ends, dark earth, some dry herb. Tight, firm, ferrous. A wine of real intrigue.
14% alc; 95 points
