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The Inspiration
In 1842, 28 Silesian families arrived in the Barossa, bringing with them generations of viticultural wisdom. They settled in Bethany, purchased land from George Fife Angas, and laid the foundations of what would become one of the world’s great wine regions. Today, their descendants still tend the ancient vines of the Valley.
Dave Powell’s 2021 ‘The Silesian’ is a tribute to these pioneers—a wine steeped in history and crafted with reverence.
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The Winemaker
Few names carry more weight in the Barossa than Dave Powell. Rockford apprentice. Torbreck founder.
His wines have captivated critics. Jeremy Oliver says:
“With great respect to other elite Barossa brands… Neldner’s entry-level wines are better than the flagships of many. As for the best from Neldner Road? World class.”
Campbell Mattinson puts it more viscerally:
“These wines refuse to go quietly—lightning bolts of their own kind, tempests in a glass.”
The Oak
The oak here is 100% Dominique Laurent ‘Magic Casks’, which are roughly twice as thick are traditional oak barrels and air dried for a staggering 4 years prior to being used. This is the same oak Powell uses in his flagship, $750 a bottle Kraehe Shiraz, which in turn, from the same vintage, is the only wine Jeremy Oliver has ever scored 100 points. Laurent is based in Burgundy, and crafts entirely from ancient Tronçais forest oak. His exclusive use of this old-growth oak means Laurent can make no more than 1,000 barrels a year, sometimes as few as 500. His barrels are rarely made available outside of France and bring unparalleled texture, integration and longevity.
The vineyard and the wine
The 2021 Silesian Shiraz is sourced from old vines grown on Powell’s prized Neldner Road vineyard.
It is opulent and sense-flooding. Aromas of gunsmoke, cedar, dark chocolate, coffee, meat stock and spice weave through rich waves of blueberry, black pepper and liquorice. It’s brooding, heady and powerful—Barossa at full throttle.
With ‘The Silesian’, Dave Powell has bottled history, heritage and sheer winemaking firepower. It’s a fitting tribute to the families who shaped the Barossa—and another lightning bolt in glass from one of its greatest modern sons.
This might seem like a strange one, but I can honestly say that this combo really works. Usually, when you think of burgers you lean towards a beer, or even a nice glass of red. The freshness of the apple, spice coming through from the tomato jam, and the addition of pork had me leaning towards a Riesling.
"Lambascioni" is pickled onions, and with melt-in-your-mouth lamb it's just magic. What a treat for a Sunday roast!
Cheeky and rich winter warmer. Will hold it's own against a McLaren Vale or Barossa Shiraz.
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