Tasting Notes for Current Vintage

James Haliday Rating: ««««

The grapes for Mitchell wines come from the company’s four local vineyards. Varieties planted are Riesling, Semillon, Shiraz, Merlot, Grenache and Cabernet. Soils are red-brown loam and clay over limestone. The altitude of these vineyards is between 300 and 400 metres and the average rainfall in the vicinity of 600mm, falling mostly in the winter (May–September).

The largest vineyard is located at Watervale, several kilometres south of the winery. Set on the exposed eastern slopes of undulating hills, with long rows of vines, this can be a very bleak place in the middle of winter at pruning time. This has led to it becoming known among the vineyard workers as Alcatraz - a place to do penance in the cold, wind and rain of a Clare winter. Alcatraz is particularly suited to the Riesling variety.

The other major vineyard is at the winery site at Sevenhill. Planted entirely to red grapes: Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this is the source vineyard for the Mitchell Cabernet. A new vineyard was acquired in 1995. This Watervale vineyard is planted with 50 year old dry grown Grenache and Riesling grapes. The most recent purchase is a 130 acre farm at Auburn which is being developed with vines and olives. In addition, selected growers are contracted to supply particular parcels of grapes to blend with the home grown fruit.