The Story
Samuel's Gorge is a mosaic of dreams, with one principal philosophy, that of place.
Justin McNamee established Samuel's Gorge in 2003 in a farm shed built in 1853 overlooking the Onkaparinga River National Park located in the Seaview subregion of McLaren Vale. The Samuel's Gorge label is an impression of the rugged landscape that is viewed from the winery.
A wines’ style is steered by the soil in which the vine grows, the vintage conditions and the imagination of a winemaker. The soils of the region vary dramatically across the McLaren Vale basin that then opens to the coast in the west. Specialising in four key varietals Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre and Tempranillo, grapes are strategically sourced from a range of sites and soils in order to achieve great depth and complexity of flavour.
The wines of Samuel's Gorge are hand crafted wines that are distinctly Australian with reference to the old world for texture, complexity and harmony. Having great patience, the fermentations of each parcel of fruit are long and slow in open slate fermenters which date back 100 years. The grapes are pressed off using traditional basket press methods with the wines being transferred to oak to mature. These many components are then blended together to achieve harmony within each of the Samuel’s Gorge wines.
The wines of Samuel's Gorge represent the personality of the maker and are driven by their nose, texture, silkiness and intrigue. There is a common rustic nature supporting the fruit drive and natural richness in all three wines. Ultimately we present wines that are great to drink and yet have structural support to ensure that they cellar well.