If I could plant anything in the world right now, it would be hundred year-old Barossa shiraz. Then I would have something to approach what Peter and Christie Schulz have at Turkey Flat, whose original vineyard is half as old again. It was back in 1847 when a Silesian refugee to the Barossa Valley, Johann Fielder, established a shiraz vineyard on the fertile alluvial soils on the banks of the Tanunda Creek, before the Schulz family bought the land in the late 1800s. Today, like so many of the successful new generation of Barossa winemakers, the Schulzes are focusing on the grape varieties to have historically found a home in their region. Not for them the allure of new arrivals like chardonnay, merlot and sauvignon blanc; they’re far more at home with the semillon, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, grenache and mataro (often now called mourvedre) from ancient and low-yielding vineyards. While they’re ripe and deeply flavoured, Turkey Flat’s wines steer clear of the ultra or over-ripeness and the accompanying thick alcoholic textures and dried fruit flavours of so many Australian wines made today from warmer climates. They’re also clean and freshly presented, for only in the Grenache Noir does Peter Schulz permit the early development of earthy, rustic flavours. Turkey Flat’s Semillon 2000 is plush, juicy and brightly flavoured, with citrus and melon fruit. It’s one of the more convincing examples of the new breed of Barossa semillon which, being harvested earlier than they were traditionally, are fresher and more lively than their predecessors. Peter Schulz is one of the few winemakers going around who takes their rose seriously. A splash of the Italian grape dolcetto adds spiciness and focus to the Turkey Flat Rose 2001, a wine of more flavour, substance and mouthfeel than the thin, skimpy excuses of wines so often bottled under this descriptor. The spicy confection aromas of the Grenache Noir 1999 precede a smooth, fleshy palate of intense blueberry, plum and cherry fruit, while there are few better early-drinking red wines around of lively fresh flavours and creamy soft textures than the 1999 Butchers Block blend of mataro, shiraz and grenache. While others struggled with the vintage, Turket Flat produced one of its best Cabernet Sauvignons in 1999. It’s almost essence-like in its delivery of pure, vibrant cassis and plum flavours, fresh aromas of violets and smartly balanced cedary and chocolate oak. Even better is the 1999 Shiraz, also made from the original plantings. It’s supple, smooth and willowy, with a restrained, but pristine expression of spicy dark cherries, blackberries, dark chocolate and lightly toasty oak. Like the other Turkey Flat wines, it’s almost too accessible now to stand much chance of living up to its full potential in around eight years’ time.
