Frederick Stevenson is the winemaking alias of Steve Crawford — one of the Barossa's most quietly subversive voices, a producer who takes Australia's most famous wine region and uses it to make wines that look nothing like the Barossa's reputation would suggest. Piñata started as a lighter nod to Côtes du Rhône blends and has continued to provide a bit more interest than the average quaffing Rhône blend — the wine is meant for immediate pleasure, a kind of business card for what can be expected from the other Barossa releases. The fruit comes primarily from two certified biodynamic vineyards — Ahrens Vineyard in sandy Vine Vale and the Hoffman Vineyard in Ebenezer — hand-picked, predominantly destemmed, fermented in open-top fermenters without additions, aged only 10 to 12 weeks in a mixture of French barrels, then racked, bottled unfined and unfiltered with only a small sulphur addition. The blend shifts slightly vintage to vintage but the philosophy is fixed: Cinsault's light fragrance, crunchy acidity and pomegranate-like tannins; Grenache providing palate volume, softness and sweeter floral notes; Syrah lending pepper and structure; Mourvèdre adding a little leather and gamey complexity. Crunchy tart red berries, pressed flower petals, spice and cool stone on the vibrant, rustic nose — sour cherry, raspberry, strawberry, green herbs, pepper and mixed brown spice on the palate, juicy and lively but finishing bright and refreshing.
